User:Nmonsees/Feriae Latinae

New article name new article content ... Feriae Latinae (the original name was Latiar).

The Latin Festival (Feriae Latinae or simply Latina) was a festival in honor of the Latin League, was celebrated for four days by the Roman consuls immediately upon assuming office, in the presence of all the magistrates, in part on the Alban Mount and in part on the Capitol. The festival was originally held by a league of Latin cities, led perhaps by Alba Longa, an ancient city of Latium in central Italy southeast of Rome in the Alban Hills. Alba Longa was the founder and head of the Latin League. Each city of the Latin League sent delegates to worship Jupiter Latiaris together, to deliberate and decide on matters of the confederacy, and to settle any disputes which might have arisen among its members.

According to the Roman legend, the festival was instituted by the last Tarquin in commemoration of the alliance between the Romans and Latins. But Niebuhr has shown that the festival is of much higher antiquity, It was originally a panegyris of the Latins. The towns of the Priscans and Latins received their shares of the sacrifice on the Alban Mount — which was the place of its celebration — along with the Albans and the thirty towns of the Alban commonwealth. Therefore, all that the last Tarquin did was to convert the original Latin Festival into a Roman one, and to make it the means of hallowing and cementing the alliance between the two nations. Before the union, the chief magistrate of the Latins had presided at the festival; but Tarquin now assumed this distinction, which subsequently, after the destruction of the Latin commonwealth, remained with the chief magistrates of Rome. The object of this panegyris on the Alban Mount was the worship of Jupiter Latiaris, and, at least as long as the Latin republic existed, to deliberate and decide on matters of the confederacy, and to settle any disputes which might have arisen among its members.

The site of the festival was the summit of the Alban Mount, about thirteen miles southeast of Rome.

Although the Romans may not have been members at first, and the main celebration did not take place in Rome itself, the festival nevertheless played a very important part in Roman public life from the very early times until the end of the fourth century AD.

It was one of the moveable feasts, and its date was fixed at the beginning of each year by the incoming consuls. It was normally held before the consuls went off on the campaigning season in the spring, or sometimes a little later. The Feriae Latinae belonged to the conceptivae, the time of their celebration greatly depended on the state of affairs at Rome, as the consuls were never allowed to take the field until they had held the Latinae.

This festival was a great tool in the hands of the magistrates who had to appoint the time of its celebration. It might often suit their purpose either to hold the festival at a particular time or to delay it, depending upon the state of affairs in Rome.

This festival was a great engine in the hands of the magistrates, who had to appoint the time of its celebration (concipere, edicere, or indicere Latinas); as it might often suit their purpose either to hold the festival at a particular time or delay it, in order to prevent or delay such public proceedings as seemed injurious and pernicious, and to promote others to which they were favorably disposed. This feature, however, the Feriae Latinae had in common with all the other Feriae Conceptivae. Whenever any of the forms or ceremonies customary at the Latinae had been neglected, the consuls had the right to propose to the Senate, or the College of Pontiffs, that their celebration should be repeated. Respecting the duration of the Feriae Latinae, the common opinion formerly was, that at first they only lasted for one day, to which subsequently a second, a third, and a fourth were added; but it is clear that this supposition was founded on a confusion of the Feriae Latinae with the Ludi Maximi, and that they lasted for six days; one for each decury of the Alban and Latin towns. The festive season was attended by a sacred truce, and no battle was allowed to be fought during those days.

The central act was a sacrifice of a pure white heifer that had never known the yoke, and it was made on behalf of the whole League. (It may have been made by the Latins in rotation until the Romans gained control in 338 BC, and then it became the task of the Roman consuls.) The leader offered a libation of milk, and the rest of the cities brought other agricultural products such as lambs or cheese. The flesh of the main sacrificial victim was divided among the delegates and shared in a common meal. Besides the common sacrifice of an ox, the several towns offered each separately lambs, cheeses, or a certain quantity of milk, or cakes.

Multitudes flocked to the Alban Mount on the occasion, and the season was one of great rejoicing and feasting. Pliny mentions that a race of four-horse chariots (quadrigae certant) took place on the Capitol, to entertain those who stayed in Rome during the Latin Festival. The victor received a draught of absynthium.

One puzzling feature of the celebrations was that little puppets (oscilla) fashioned like humans were said to have been hung up in the trees. The idea behind the oscilla may have been charms against evil influences. The essential part of the festival lasted only one day, and when all was completed on the Alban Mount, a bonfire on its summit signaled to Latium that the festival was over.

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In early times, during the alliance of the Romans and Latins, the chief magistrates of both nations met on the Alban Mount, and conducted the solemnities, at which the Romans, however, had the presidency. But afterwards the Romans alone conducted the celebration, and offered the common sacrifice of an ox to Jupiter Latiaris, in the name and on behalf of all who took part in it. The flesh of the victim was distributed among the several towns whose common sanctuary stood on the Alban Mount.

Multitudes flocked to the Alban Mount on the occasion, and the season was one of great rejoicings and feasting. Various kinds of games were not wanting, among which may be mentioned the oscillatio (swinging, Festus, s.v. Oscillum). It was a symbolic game, and the legend respecting its origin shows that it was derived from the Latins.

Although the Roman consuls were always present on the Alban Mount, and conducted the solemn sacrifice of an ox, yet we read that the superintendence of the Latinae, like that of other festivals, was given by the Senate to the Aediles, who, therefore, probably conducted the minor sacrifices, the various games, and other solemnities. While the consuls were engaged on the Alban Mount, their place at Rome was filled by the Praefectus Urbi.

The two days following the celebration of the Latin holidays were considered as dies religiosi, so that no marriages could be contracted. From Dion Cassius we see that in his time the Feriae Latinae were still strictly observed by the Romans, whereas the Latin towns had, at the time of Cicero, almost entirely given up taking any part in them. The Romans seemed to have continued to keep them down to the fourth century of our era.

References

Smith's A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities

External links

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