TheParilia orPalilia was anancient Roman festival of rural character performed annually on 21 April, aimed at cleansing both sheep and shepherd. It was carried out in acknowledgment to the Roman deityPales, a deity of uncertain gender who was a patron of shepherds and sheep.[1]
Ovid describes the Parilia at length in theFasti, anelegiac poem on theRoman religious calendar, and implies that it predates thefounding of Rome (753 BC in theVarronian chronology), as indicated by itspastoral and preagricultural concerns. During theRepublic,farming was idealized and central to Roman identity, so the festival took on a more generally rural character. Increasing urbanization caused the rustic Parilia to be reinterpreted rather than abandoned, as Rome was anintensely traditional society. During theImperial period, the date was celebrated as thebirthday of Rome (Latin:dies natalis Romae ornatalis Urbis).
By the end of the late Republic, the Parilia became associated with thebirthday of Rome.[2] Numerous accounts of the founding of Rome exist, but the particular one related to the Parilia is described by Ovid in hisFasti. According to this myth,Romulus, upon reaching Rome on the day of the Parilia, took a stick and engraved a line in the ground that defined the boundaries of the new city(pomerium). He then prayed to the godsJupiter,Mars, andVesta asking for protection of this area. However, his brotherRemus, unaware of the boundaries, crossed the line and was struck down by Romulus's henchmanCeler.[3]
Over time, and under the influence of several Roman rulers, the structure of the Parilia changed. First, afterJulius Caesar heard the news of Roman Victory atMunda in 45 BC (around the date of the Parilia), he added games to the ceremony. At these games, the citizens would wear crowns in Caesar’s honor. Caligula instituted into the celebration a procession of priests, noblemen, boys and girls of noble birth singing of his virtues while escorting the Golden Shield, previously bestowed upon him by the citizens of Rome, to the Capitol.[citation needed] At this time the Parilia became Rome's birthday celebration rather than the rural festival it had once been.[citation needed] In 121 AD,Hadrian founded a newtemple of Venus and Roma and changed the festival’s name to theRomaea. This temple was ruined in the 9th century.[1]
The pastoral structure of the festival is carried out by the shepherd himself. After the sheep pen had been decorated with green branches and a wreath draped on the gate, the remainder of the ceremony took place in sequence. At the first sign of daylight, the shepherd would purify the sheep: by sweeping the pen and then constructing a bonfire of straw, olive branches,laurel, and sulfur. The noises produced by this burning combination were interpreted as a beneficial omen. The shepherd would jump through this flame, dragging his sheep along with him. Offerings ofmillet, cakes, and milk were then presented beforePales, marking the second segment of the ceremony. After these offerings, the shepherd would wet his hands with dew, face the east, and repeat a prayer four times. Such prayers requested Pales’s assistance in freeing the shepherd and the flock from evils brought about by accidental wrongdoings (e.g. trespassing on sacred grounds and removing water from asacred water source).[4] The final portion of the rural festival made use of the beverage burranica, a combination of milk andsapa (boiled wine). After consumption of this beverage, the shepherd would leap through the fire three times, bringing an end to the ceremony.[5]
The urban form of the Parilia, on the other hand, is blended with other Roman religious practices and carried out by a priest. Ovid personally participated in this form and describes his experiences in theFasti.[3] While the central actions of the rural ceremony carry over, the urban form adds two ingredients from other religious festivals: the Fordicidia and theOctober Horse. TheFordicidia sacrifices a pregnant cow to the deityTellus to promote cattle and field fertility. The unborn calf is then removed from the womb and burnt. The October Horse is the right hand horse of the team that won a particular chariot race on October 15 of the previous year.[6] Together, the ashes of the unborn calf and the blood from the head of the October Horse are mixed by theVestals and are added to the burning bean straw of the bonfire.[4]Dumézil questioned whether theEquus October provided the horse blood,[7] since the two ancient sources that mention the ingredient omit identifying the victim.[8]