with this festival, so after the close of the campaign
in autumn there followed a further festival of Mars,
that of the consecration of arms (-armilustrium-,
October 19). Lastly, to the second Mars, Quirinus,
the 17th February was appropriated (-Quirinalia-).
Among the other festivals those which related to
the culture of corn and wine hold the first place,
while the pastoral feasts play a subordinate part.
To this class belongs especially the great series
of spring-festivals in April, in the course of which
sacrifices were offered on the 15th to Tellus, the
nourishing earth (-fordicidia-, sacrifice of the pregnant
cow), on the 19th to Ceres, the goddess of germination
and growth (-Cerialia-) on the 21st to Pales, the
fecundating goddess of the flocks (-Parilia-), on
the 23rd to Jupiter, as the protector of the vines
and of the vats of the previous year’s vintage
which were first opened on this day (-Vinalia-), and
on the 25th to the bad enemy of the crops, rust (-Robigus-:
-Robigalia-). So after the completion of the
work of the fields and the fortunate ingathering of
their produce double festivals were celebrated in
honour of the god and goddess of inbringing and harvest,
Census (from -condere-) and Ops; the first, immediately
after the completion of cutting (August 21, -Consualia-;
August 25, -Opiconsiva-); and the second, in the middle
of winter, when the blessings of the granary are especially
manifest (December 15, -Consualia-; December 19, -Opalia-);
between these two latter days the thoughtfulness of
the old arrangers of the festivals inserted that of
seed-sowing (Saturnalia from -Saeturnus- or -Saturnus-,
December 17). In like manner the festival of
must or of healing (-meditrinalia-, October 11), so
called because a healing virtue was attributed to
the fresh must, was dedicated to Jovis as the wine-god
after the completion of the vintage; the original reference
of the third wine-feast (-Vinalia-, August 19) is not
clear. To these festivals were added at the
close of the year the wolf-festival (-Lupercalia-,
February 17) of the shepherds in honour of the good
god, Faunus, and the boundary-stone festival (-Terminalia-,
February 23) of the husbandmen, as also the summer
grove-festival of two days (-Lucaria-, July 19, 21)
which may have had reference to the forest-gods (-Silvani-),
the fountain-festival (-Fontinalia-, October 13),
and the festival of the shortest day, which brings
in the new sun (-An-geronalia-, -Divalia-, December
21).
Of not less importance—as was to be expected
in the case of the port of Latium—were
the mariner-festivals of the divinities of the sea
(-Neptunalia-, July 23), of the harbour (-Portunalia-,
August 17), and of the Tiber stream (-Volturnalia-,
August 27).
Handicraft and art, on the other hand, are represented
in this cycle of the gods only by the god of fire
and of smith’s work, Vulcanus, to whom besides
the day named after him (-Volcanalia-, August 23)
the second festival of the consecration of trumpets
was dedicated (-tubilustrium-, May 23), and eventually
also by the festival of Carmentis (-Carmentalia- January
11, 15), who probably was adored originally as the
goddess of spells and of song and only inferentially
as protectress of births.