Many festivals took place in ancient Rome. These sacred days were celebrations to honour or appease the gods or to commemorate or celebrate an event. Festivals usually included large feasting and some form of entertainment, e.g., games. Social norms were also often suspended, as the majority of the festivals were public and all Roman citizens were involved. Two of the most famous and best documented festivals included the Lupercalia and the Saturnalia.
The Lupercalia was a celebration of the founding of Rome, and took place each year on February 15. Two youths ran through the city, beginning their run at a cave referred to as the lupercal, the site where the she-wolf was believed to have taken care of Romulus and Remus, the legendary founders of Rome. Two high-ranking young men were chosen to partake in the festival as the runners. A goat was first sacrificed, and its blood smeared on the runners’ foreheads that was then wiped off with cotton dipped in milk. The runners then made whips out of the skin of the goat and ran through Rome around the Palatine hill, whipping women they came across. This was believed to be both good luck and made the women more fertile. The festival began before a written history of Rome existed, and to which god the sacrifice and festival was actually dedicated is often discussed, but even the writers of the Roman Republic did not seem to be sure.
The Saturnalia was a festival to the god Saturnus, an ancient Roman god of agriculture. It began on December 17, which was the formal day of celebration, but the festival was often extended for a number of days, generally at least three, depending on who was leading Rome at the time. The festival opened with a sacrifice at the temple of Saturn and, each following day, household sacrifices occurred. Great feasting was enjoyed each day. Presents were exchanged between friends and family members and wax candles were a common gift. One of the defining features of the festival was the reversal of social roles. Slaves were served by their masters during this festival and, in general, were treated as equals.
Though only two festivals have been described here, several took place each month in Rome. Many large events, games and feasts were state-sponsored, and were very popular with the people. They were an important part of Roman religion. Their religion was very ritualistic and each aspect had to be performed correctly. Parts of their festivals were so old that the Romans themselves forgot why they were performed, but continued to do so to uphold the ritual and to not anger whichever gods considered the festival their own.