Lupercalia - Event of the day - 8th May 2019

*Lupercalia was a very ancient, possibly pre-Roman pastoral annual festival, observed in the city of Rome on February 15, to avert evil spirits and purify the city, releasing health and fertility. At the Lupercal altar, a male goat (or goats) and a dog (possibly standing in for a wolf) were sacrificed by one or another of the Luperci, under the supervision of the Flamen dialis, Jupiter's chief priest. The sacrificial feast followed, after which the Luperci cut thongs (known as februa) from the flayed skin of the animals, and ran with these, naked or near-naked, along the old Palatine boundary, in an anticlockwise direction around the hill, whipping onlookers. A blessing from these whips was believed to cure childlessness *

P.S. We will be sharing events of the day showcasing different festivals, ludi and other interesting events from Citizen of Rome, please do feel free to discuss them or ask us anything about them