#ancient rome festival

[the-evil-clergyman]

Spring by Lawrence Alma-Tadema (1894)

[scribl1ta]

2 more oc ref sheets!! already working on the next 2🥰

Simay (top) is the owner of the only kosher kebab house in the neighborhood and occasionally takes freelance sidequests, especially any that let her express her artistic talents or dress up in pastel eyeshadow. She is very good with cats, and they keep her establishment remarkably clean for the time period. Simay's only known personal enemy is a rival taverna owner who sometimes pulls cartoonish stunts to get her in trouble with the local Roman prefect and Health Inspection Services. She comes from Byzantium and already has a very lively backstory, although other characters often dismiss her. (I made her with + based on one of my friends from high school so if her name is more modern-sounding, that's why; this is also where she gets most of her style and personality, and the special cat that she takes care of.)

Seleukos (bottom) is a hopeless romantic, chronically unemployed, and the worst "poet" in Athens; but unexpectedly manages to ingratiate himself with the Emperor Hadrian, who believes his work is just kitsch and a lightly satirical critique of modern decadence. He finds another ally in the prefect, who bonds with him over their shared hatred of the main villain and superficial literary interest that is really an interest in lounging around and talking about boys. Seleukos' main goals-- artistic greatness and true love-- eventually come true in ways he never expected and might regret later.

They are usually involved in Chrysanthos' business against his will, but the duo's combined creative thinking, low social capital, and undying loyalty to each other become useful in the strange situations that they often encounter.

you can read and see more about the story and characters in the #my ocs tag!

[illustratus]

Pompa Circensis by Julio Borrell Pla

[ami-ven]

Happy Festival of Bacchus!

[axolkitkat]

Waking up today and immediately checking Tumblr bcause I know today's the day makes this day feel like Christmas

Especially knowing everybody spent the whole month waiting for it, preparing for it, sharpening their knives in anticipation

Especially knowing the village festivities only last a day, one day only, before we have to wait another year for the bloodshed again

The excitement and joy here today, though, makes it worth it.

I love this website so much :)

[ancientstuff]

I find the leftovers of living people in cemeteries so poignant. Even if it's from a festival honouring the dead, and not a burial.

[mikrokosmos]

Ottorino Respighi

(9 July 1879 – 18 April 1936)

Happy Birthday, Otto!

[starofmithras]

Wishing you a blessed Floralia! 🌸🏵️🌼

Art: "Flora" (circa 1780s) by Angelica Kauffmann

The ancient Romans celebrated this festival from 28 April to 3 May, in honor of Flora, the Goddess of flowers, vegetation, and fertility. The festival had a licentious, pleasure-seeking atmosphere. Ovid says that hares and goats—animals considered fertile and salacious—were ceremonially released as part of the festivities. The festival opened with theatrical performances, continued with competitive games and spectacles at the Circus, and concluded with a sacrifice to the Goddess.

"O Flora! sweetest Flora, goddess bright,

Impersonation of selectest things,

The soul and spirit of a thousand Springs,

Bodied in all their loveliness and light,

A delicate creation of the mind,

Fashioned in its divinest, daintiest mould,

In the bright age of gold,

Before the world was wholly lost and blind,

But saw and entertained with thankful heart

The gods as guests..."

--- Richard Henry Stoddard, "Arcadian Hymn to Flora"

[alexanderpearce]

dressing as clodius pulcher for historical figures themed party tomorrow

[poetry-lair]

Sweet is the scent of flowers

as I wake up

after a sleep of tedium

and a cold paralysis.

And after seeing

the blossoming buds opening,

I let the May’s sun

pass through my body

and melt my fears away

“Flora (Fresco)” (C): Anonymous

“Spring ” (C): Lawrence Alma-Tadema

“ Nus près d'une fontaine dans un jardin méditerranéen” (C): Paul Jean Gervais

“Floralia” (C): Hobbe Smith

Poem (C): Me

All the rights of the images, effects and GIF belong to their respective owners.

[pervigilatrix]

I can't believe I missed Saturnalia this year

[juliehowlin]

Saturnalia

In ancient Rome on this date, the festival of Saturnalia would have been in full swing. Although the main festival was on December 17, the holiday gradually got longer until it lasted a whole week, and the second day, today, was still a public holiday.

10 facts about Saturnalia:

[ami-ven]

Happy Floralia!

[saryoak]

Opiconsivia - Aug 25

Opiconsivia is a festival held in the honour of the goddess Ops - she is the goddess of opulence, plenty, success, and fertility. This is a time of abundnace and plenty and sharing with others. Celebrate in modern times with a meal shared with others, a donation of food, money or time and use this time to think of things you have plenty of, and what you have that you could share.  Sometimes these things aren’t material - maybe you’re an excellent artist and you could share a tip with beginners, or you have a few hours spare you could help someone out or voulenteer.  For an altar, ideally you want to be wearing white, and place offerings in a bronze bowl, but you can still make offerings of late summer foods, breads, wines, wheat and corn sheaths, summer flowers, coins, earth/soil.  

[penny-anna]

Another Ides of March thought: bcos the majority of our primary sources on Ancient Rome were written by members of the senatorial class it's easy to fall into the trap of conflating 'the senate hated this guy' with 'everyone hated this guy' when those are two very different things.

& then when there's evidence that people outside the senate didn't in fact hate that guy, it's easy to fall into the trap of privileging the senatorial position on the assumption that the senate just Knew Best.

Commodus* & Nero, two of the most notorious Bad Emperors, were actually very popular with regular people. This is often attributed to them essentially putting on a big show (festival, circuses, that kind of thing) but that's kinda just continuing to privilege the senate's position by assuming that when contemporary sources say 'the plebs liked Nero bcos he threw a lot of cool parties' they are actually being truthful. Regular people in Ancient Rome very much did pay attention to politics.

Like yeah Julius Caesar did piss off the senate enough that a full 60 guys conspired to murder him but the population of the city of Rome at the time was potentially approaching 1 million people (half a million if you want a more conservative estimate). That's uhh. A lot of people whose opinions are not well reflected by the sources.

Just some food for thought anyhow!

*That's the one from Gladiator fyi