Roman Religious Ceremonies

1. Roman Religious Ceremonies by:Julia

2. Importance ~Early forms of the Roman religion were important, believing that spirits inhabited everything around them, people included. The first citizens of Rome also believed they were watched over by the spirits of their ancestors. ~Early forms of the Roman religion were important, believing that spirits inhabited everything around them, people included. The first citizens of Rome also believed they were watched over by the spirits of their ancestors. While this fusion of Roman and Greek deities influenced Rome in many ways, their religion remained practical.

3. Originated ~The Romans adopted many of the Greek gods as their own. Religion and myth became one. Under this Greek influence, the Roman gods became more anthropomorphic – with the human characteristics of jealousy, love, hate, etc. However, this transformation was not to the degree that existed in Greek mythology. ~ The romans are still considered more practical than the Greeks .

4. Ceremony of sacrifices ~Sacrificial offerings were made to please ancient Roman gods and goddesses. The types of sacrifices were very specific and highly ritualized. ~The sex of the animal had to correspond to the sex of the god or goddess it was offered to. White animals were sacrificed to the gods of the upper world whereas black animals to the underworld. ~ Public and private sacrifices were made on a daily basis.

5. Magic ~ Ancient Roman religion used charms, spells, chanting, sacrifices and various ceremonies in order to control the natural world such as ceremonies to produce rain. ~Religious festivals such as Saturnalia and Bacchanalia were celebrated where sacrifices, ribald songs, lewd acts and sexual promiscuity were also practised. • ‘evil eye’ ring

6. The Rain Ceremony of the Argeorum Sacra ~A similar rain charm and ceremony was practised in the curious ritual of the Argeorum Sacra which involved throwing puppets of straw into the River Tiber as a symbolic wetting of the crops.

7. Crop and harvest ceremonies ~The success of the harvest and crops were necessary for the survival of the Ancient Romans. ~The killing of the red mildew and a ceremony practised on April 15 involving the slaughter of pregnant cows at the Fordicia. ~The Augurium Canarium was when a red dog was sacrificed for the prosperity of the crop.

8. The worship of the fields ~The life of the early Roman in the fields, his activities, his hopes and fears, are reflected in the long list of agricultural festivals which play a big role in the greater part of the occupations of the agricultural year. The Roman festivals related to the gods of the fields and their worship divided into: ~The Spring, expressive of the hopes and fears for the growing crops and herds of farm animals ~The Summer, the festivals of fulfilment, including the celebration of harvest ~The Winter, the festivals of sowing and of of social rejoicing

9. Questions • Name 5 ceremonies that the Romans celebrated. • Sacrifice, Magic, ArgeorumSacra,Crop and harvest,Fields • What is a Fordicia? • The slaughter of pregnant cows on April 15