1. MAY AND JUNE
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2. MAY

3. Lemuria Festival for the Dead
9th 11th, 13th  Was to please the unhappy, envious and maybe even HARMFUL spirits…LEMURES
14th  Proceeded to the oldest bridge - the Pons Subulicus.
Here, a ceremony was held and straw puppets were thrown into the Tiber river.

4. Straw Puppets – The mystery revealed
Conspiracy theory number one:
Symbolic of human sacrifices made to the river in ancient times to avoid famine.
Conspiracy theory number two:
To appease the river god for putting a bridge across him.
Original meaning lost…

5. Primary Evidence – The Lemuria
Ovid:
- “offerings will be made to the silent shades”
- “people brought their gifts to the ashes of the dead’
“This was the month of May, called after our ancestors”
“ When he has washed his hands…he takes up black beans, averts his face and throws them…the belief is that the ghost gathers the beans and follows unseen behind”

6. Ceremony of the Ambarvalia
Near the end of May
Held in every village and farm
To protect the ripening corn
Sacrifices may have been made at certain prescribed places
It was said, but doubted, that three animals of the suovetaurilia were lead around in a full circuit of the city.

7. JUNE

8. Vestalia The state festival of Vesta
9-15th June
Procession of barefooted Roman matrons taking food to the shrine of the goddess
15th – the priestess’ of Vesta cleared the storehouse next to the shrine
= the cleansing of all storehouses
= symbolising readiness to receive
new harvest

9. Fortuna Festival of Goddess of Luck
24th June
open to slaves = popular with poor
Large crowds went on foot and boat to honour goddess on banks of Tiber
Sacrifices and Picnic on riverbank