Parilia

As described in the Fasti (a series of poems by Ovid), the agricultural festival of Parilia, performed annually on April 21, was aimed to cleanse both sheep and shepherd. It was carried out in acknowledgment to the Roman deity Pales, god of shepherd and sheep and of whose gender is uncertain. "The Cambridge Ancient History 2nd Ed. Vol. X: The Augustan Empire 43 BC – AD 69". Cambridge University Press. Great Britain: 1996. pp. 816-817] While the festival seems to have originated before the founding of Rome in 753 BCE, most references note a distinction between the rural and urban forms, illustrating the combination of the ceremony with other aspects of Roman religion in the urban setting.

Ceremony

The rural structure of the festival was carried out by the shepherd himself. After the sheep pen had been decorated with green branches and a wreath draped on the gate, the remainder of the ceremony took place in a sequential fashion. At the first sign of daylight, the shepherd would purify the sheep: by sweeping the pen and then constructing a bonfire of straw, olive branches, laurel, and sulfur. The noises produced by this burning combination were interpreted as a beneficial omen. The shepherd would jump through this flame, dragging his sheep along with him. Offerings of millet, cakes, and milk were then presented before Pales, marking the second segment of the ceremony. After these offerings, the shepherd would wet his hands with dew, face the east, and repeat a prayer four times. Such prayers requested Pales’ assistance in freeing the shepherd and the flock from evils brought about by accidental wrongdoings (e.g. trespassing on sacred grounds and removing water from a scared water source). Fowler, Warde W. "The Roman Festivals of the Period of the Republic". MacMillan and CO, Limited. London: 1899. pp. 79-85.] The final portion of the rural festival made use of the beverage burranica, a combination of milk and sapa (boiled wine). After consumption of this beverage, the shepherd would leap through the fire three times, bringing and end to the ceremony. Butrica, James L. "Propertius on the Parilia" (4.4.73-8). Classical Quarterly 50.2. Memorial University of Newfoundland. Great Britain: 2000. pp. 472-478.]

The urban form of the Parilia, on the other hand, was blended with other Roman religious practices and carried out by a priest. Ovid personally participated in this form and describes his experiences in the Fasti. Ovid. "Fasti"; Gower, John. "Ovids Festivalls, or Romane calendar, translated into English verse equinumerally". London: 1640. pp. 93-97.] While the central actions of the rural ceremony carry over, the urban form adds two other religious festivals: the Fordicidia and the October Horse. The Fordicidia sacrifices a pregnant cow to the deity Tellus to promote cattle and field fertility. The unborn calf is then removed from the womb and burnt. The October Horse is the right hand horse of the team that won a particular chariot race on October 15 of the previous year. Adkins, Lesley & Roy A. "Dictionary of Roman Religion". Facts on File Inc. New York: 1996. pp. 82, 168.] Together, the ashes of the unborn calf and the blood from the head of the October Horse are mixed by the Vestals and are added to the burning bean straw of the bonfire.

History

By the end of the late Republic, the Parilia became associated with the birthday of Rome. Kearns, Emily. "The Oxford Dictionary of Classical Myth and Religion". Oxford University Press. Oxford: 2003. pp. 406.] While there exists numerous accounts on the founding of Rome, the particular one related to the Parilia is described by Ovid in the Fasti. According to this myth, Romulus, upon landing in Rome on the day of the Parilia, took a stick and engraved a line in the ground (the pomerium) that defined the boundaries of the new city. He then prayed to the gods Jupiter, Mars, and Vesta asking for protection of this area. However, his brother Remus, unaware of the boundaries, crossed the line and was struck down by the god Celer.

Over time, and under the influence of several Roman rulers, the structure of the Parilia changed. First, after Caesar heard the news of Roman Victory at Munda in 45 BC (around the date of the Parilia), he added games to the ceremony. At these games, the citizens would wear crowns in Caesar’s honor. Secondly, in 121 AD Hadrian founded a new temple of Venus and Roma and changed the festival’s name to Romaea.

Notes