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022 - Roman Festivals · Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome

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  Speaker 1: Section twenty one of Myths and Legends. This is a
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  Speaker 1: LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
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  Speaker 1: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
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  Speaker 1: Recording by Kirsten Ferrari. Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece
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  Speaker 1: and Rome by E. M. Barons. Section twenty one. Roman
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  Speaker 1: Festivals Saturnalia. The Saturnalia, a national festival held in December
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  Speaker 1: in honor of Saturn, was celebrated after the in gathering
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  Speaker 1: of the harvest and lasted several days. It was a
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  Speaker 1: time of universal rejoicing, cessation from labor and merrymaking. School
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  Speaker 1: children had holidays, friends sent presents to each other. The
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  Speaker 1: law courts were closed and no business was transacted. Crowds
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  Speaker 1: of people from the surrounding country flocked to Rome for
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  Speaker 1: this festival. A tired in every variety of masquerade dress.
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  Speaker 1: Practical jokes were given and received with the utmost good humour.
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  Speaker 1: Shouts of exultation filled the air. All classes abandoned themselves
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  Speaker 1: to enjoyment, and unrestrained hilarity reigned. Supreme social distinctions were
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  Speaker 1: for a time suspended or even reversed, and so heartily
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  Speaker 1: was the spirit of this festival entered into that masters
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  Speaker 1: waited upon their slaves at banquets which they provided for them,
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  Speaker 1: the slaves being dressed upon these occasions in the garments
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  Speaker 1: of their masters. There appears little doubt that the modern
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  Speaker 1: carnival is a survival of the ancient Saturnalia Serieia. This
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  Speaker 1: festival was celebrated in honor of sirs. It was solemnized
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  Speaker 1: exclusively by women, who dressed in white garments wandered about
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  Speaker 1: with tortures in their hands to represent the search of
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  Speaker 1: the Goddess for her daughter pro Serpoina. During this festival,
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  Speaker 1: games were celebrated in the Circus Maximus, to which none
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  Speaker 1: were admitted unless clothed in Vestalia. The Vestalia was a
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  Speaker 1: festival held in honor of Vesta on the ninth of June,
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  Speaker 1: and was celebrated exclusively by women who walked barefooted in
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  Speaker 1: procession to the temple of the goddess. The priestesses of Vesta,
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  Speaker 1: called Vestales or vestal virgins, played a conspicuous part in
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  Speaker 1: these festivals. They were six in number and were chosen
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  Speaker 1: between the ages of six and ten from the noblest
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  Speaker 1: families in Rome. Their term of office was thirty years.
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  Speaker 1: During the first ten years they were initiated in their
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  Speaker 1: religious duties, during the second ten they performed them, and
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  Speaker 1: during the third they instructed novices. Their chief was watch
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  Speaker 1: and feed the ever burning flame on the altar of Vesta,
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  Speaker 1: the extinction of which was regarded as a national calamity
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  Speaker 1: of ominous import. Great honors and privileges were accorded to them.
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  Speaker 1: The best seats were reserved for their use at all
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  Speaker 1: public spectacles, and even the consuls and praetors made way
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  Speaker 1: for them to pass. If they met a criminal on
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  Speaker 1: his way to execution, they had the power to pardon him,
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  Speaker 1: provided it could be proved that the meeting was accidental.
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  Speaker 1: The Vestales were vowed to chastity, a violation of which
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  Speaker 1: was visited by the frightful punishment of being buried alive.
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  Speaker 1: End of Section twenty one.