— SACRED TIME —

Parentalia and Feralia

February 13–21 · Religio Romana · Paganism of antiquity

Fixed date

Esoteric and historical meaning

Nine days dedicated to the Manes, the ancestors: the temples close, the city turns to its dead. It concludes with the Feralia and the Caristia of family reconciliation.

Operative mechanics — ritual acts

·Visiting the tombs with simple offerings
·Family meal on the day of Caristia, after resolving disputes
·Recitation of ancestor names

Traditional foods

·Bread, salt, wheat, violets
·Wine mixed with water

Offerings

·Violets on the tomb
·Bread soaked in wine left for the Manes

Taboos to respect

·No weddings
·Temples closed, no public rites

Associated symbols

Violet · Sepulchre · Ancestor masks