Download Roman Religious Ceremonies

Roman Religious
Ceremonies
by:Julia
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.
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
.
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.
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
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.
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.
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
Questions
Name 5 ceremonies that the Romans celebrated.
Sacrifice, Magic, Argeorum Sacra,Crop and harvest,Fields
What is a Fordicia?
The slaughter of pregnant cows on April 15