Festivals in Rome - Estate Romana

Festivals of Ancient Rome: The Mos Maiorum Calendar, Month by Month

A Roman calendar carved in marble with days and festivals, read by a priest

The main festivals of ancient Rome in the mos maiorum calendar: dates, deities, rites and sources, month by month, with links to in-depth articles on each festival.

Fordicidia, April 15: The Sacrifice of Pregnant Cows to Tellus

Sacrifice of a pregnant cow at an altar in an illustration inspired by archaic Rome

Fordicidia, April 15: the sacrifice of pregnant cows to the goddess Tellus, the calf ashes used by the Vestals, and the link with the Parilia. Sources and history.

Mundus Patet: The Three Days Rome’s Gate to the Underworld Stood Open

The circular pit of the mundus in the Comitium at night with torches, the opening rite

Mundus patet: on August 24, October 5 and November 8 the mundus of Rome stood open. What Varro and Macrobius say, the bans, and the possible sites of the pit.

Tigillum Sororium, October 1: The Beam Horatius Passed Under

The young Horatius walks under a beam shaped like a yoke in the purification rite in Rome

Tigillum Sororium, October 1: the beam Horatius passed under after killing his sister, the rite of atonement told by Livy, and the altars of Juno and Janus.

Feriae Latinae: The Festival of Jupiter Latiaris on Monte Cavo

Roman consuls climb the Alban Mount to sacrifice a white bull to Jupiter Latiaris

Feriae Latinae: the movable festival of Jupiter Latiaris in the Alban Hills, the white bull, the Latin peoples, and the consuls’ duty before leaving for war.

Angeronalia, December 21: The Goddess of Silence and Rome’s Secret Name

The pontiffs sacrifice at the shrine of Volupia during the winter solstice in Rome

Angeronalia, December 21: the festival of the goddess Angerona, the statue with the sealed mouth and the mystery of Rome’s secret name. Macrobius, Pliny and the theories.

Volturnalia, August 27: The Festival of the God Volturnus, Tiber and Rivers

The river god Volturnus honored on the banks of the Tiber at the end of summer

Volturnalia, August 27: the festival of the god Volturnus, a Roman river deity. What Varro and Festus say, why we know so little and what scholars suggest.

Juturnalia, January 11: The Festival of Juturna and the Roman Forum Spring

The spring of Juturna in the Roman Forum next to the Temple of Castor and Pollux, clear water

Juturnalia, January 11: the festival of the nymph Juturna, the spring in the Roman Forum beside the Temple of the Dioscuri and the link to plumbers and water craftsmen.

Paganalia, January: The Village Festival After the Sowing

Farmers of a Roman village celebrate a sacrifice after sowing in a winter field

Paganalia: the movable January festival of the pagi, Rome’s rural villages, after the sowing. The rite to Tellus and Ceres, Ovid, Varro and the festival’s social meaning.

Opalia, December 19: The Festival of Ops and the Rite of Sitting on the Ground

Farmers seated on the ground offer gifts to Ops, with sacks of grain and harvest

Opalia, December 19: the festival of Ops, Roman goddess of abundance and wife of Saturn, the rite of sitting and touching the ground and the link with the Saturnalia.

Faunalia, December 5: Faunus’s Country Festival as Told by Horace

Roman farmers dance and drink wine in front of a rustic shrine of Faunus in winter

Faunalia, December 5: the rural festival of Faunus with wine, a young goat and dancing in the meadows, the temple on Tiber Island and Horace’s ode. Sources and history.

Septimontium, December 11: The Festival of the Seven Mountains of Earliest Rome

Panoramic view of archaic Rome with hut villages on the seven hills

Septimontium, December 11: the archaic festival of Rome’s seven mountains before the classical seven hills, the montani, Varro, Festus and Plutarch. History and sources.

Equus October, October 15: The Sacrifice of Mars’s Horse in the Campus Martius

Chariot race in the Campus Martius, the right-hand horse of the winning chariot destined for sacrifice to Mars

Equus October, October 15: the sacrifice of the October horse to Mars, the fight for its head between the Suburana and the Sacravienses, and the blood on the Regia. Sources and studies.

Vertumnalia, August 13: The Festival of Vertumnus, God of Seasons and Fruit

The god Vertumnus as a shape-shifting gardener with baskets of fruit in an orchard

Vertumnalia, August 13: the festival of Vertumnus, Etruscan god of seasons and fruit, the statue on the Vicus Tuscus in Rome and the verses of Propertius.

Ludi Apollinares, July 6-13: The Games of Apollo Founded in the Second Punic War

Chariot race in the Circus Maximus during the Ludi Apollinares, with spectators crowned with laurel

Ludi Apollinares, from July 6: the games of Apollo founded in 212 BC in the thick of the Punic War, the prophecy of Marcius, the Circus Maximus and the temple of Apollo.

Nonae Caprotinae, July 7: the festival of the maidservants under the wild fig

Roman matrons and maidservants celebrating under a wild fig tree at the gates of Rome

Nonae Caprotinae, July 7: the festival of Juno Caprotina, the wild fig, Roman maidservants and the legends of Tutula and Romulus told by Plutarch and Macrobius.

Ambarvalia: the Roman procession that purified the fields in late May

Roman farmers lead a pig, a sheep, and a bull around the wheat fields at dawn

Ambarvalia: the procession of a pig, a sheep and a bull around the wheat fields in late May, the suovetaurilia sacrifice and Cato’s prayer. Sources and history.

Veneralia, April 1: the festival of Venus Verticordia and Roman women

Roman women wash the statue of Venus Verticordia and crown it with myrtle

Veneralia, April 1: the washing of the statue of Venus Verticordia, the myrtle crowns and the cult of Fortuna Virilis, according to Ovid. History of a women’s festival.

Anna Perenna, March 15: the Roman festival of the first full moon of the year

Romans having a picnic in a sacred grove along the Tiber on the Ides of March

Anna Perenna, March 15: the Roman folk festival of the new year, the picnic on the Tiber told by Ovid, the legends of the goddess and the spring at Piazza Euclide.

Regifugium, February 24: the “flight of the king” in the Roman calendar

The rex sacrorum performs a sacrifice in the Comitium at dawn, in a painted illustration

Regifugium, February 24: the rite of the “flight of the king” in the Comitium, the legend of the exile of Tarquin the Proud and the theories of modern scholars.