- Vinalia
Infobox Holiday
holiday_name = Vinalia
type = Pagan
longtype = Pagan, Historical
caption =
observedby = Ancient Romans
date =1 May 19 August
celebrations = Urbana and Rustica
observances = Libations of wine
relatedto = Jupiter and VenusThe Vinalia wereRoman festivals in honour of Jupiter and Venus. The first was held onAugust 19 , [Varro , "De lingua latina" vi.20: "Vinalia rustica dicuntur ante diem XI(II) Kalendas Septembris quod tum Veneri dedicata aedes et horti ei deae dicantur ac tum sunt feriati holitores"] and the second onMay 1 . The Vinalia of August 19, in which gardens were dedicated to Venus and vegetable-growers— perhaps as a corporate guild— [Kurt Latte, "Römische Religionsgeschichte" 187, noted by P. T. Eden, "Venus and the Cabbage" "Hermes" 91.4 (1963:448-459), p. 451.] kept holiday, were called "Vinalia Rustica", and were instituted on occasion of the war of theLatins againstMezentius ; in the course of which war the people vowed a libation to Jupiter of all the wine in the succeeding vintage. On the same day, however, fell the dedication of the Temple of Venus Obsequens, founded by Q. Fabius Gurges in 295 BCE, the oldest dateable temple to Venus.Vinalia
The "city" Vinalia urbana (or "priora"), and the "other" Vinalia rustica (or "altera") were separate feast days: the Vinalia urbana were celebrated on April 23rd while the Vinalia rustica were celebrated on August 19th. Both celebrations featured a ritual dedicated to the harvest and for the good nature of crops. For the Romans, the Vinalia celebrations were one of the three most important Roman traditional holidays. Jupiter himself was worshipped on the Ides of every month, and at the two Vinalia as well. Although the Vinalia celebrations were originally aimed to worship Jupiter, in the later Roman Empire the festival incorporated Venus, as the goddess of the garden and wine. Ovid makes a reference to the goddess of the garden and wine (Venus) and the Vinalia urbana.
Vinalia Urbana
The Vinalia urbana [ [http://lonestar.texas.net/~robison/vinalia.html Vinalia Urbana] , depending in part on H. H. Scullard, "Festivals and Ceremonies of the Roman Republic", 1981 (Cornell University Press).] were celebrated in the honor of previous year’s wine harvest, thereby providing a ready-made opportunity for feasting and drinking. In the early days of the festival, Romans offered a libation to Jupiter, this act was referred to as a "calpar". However, in time Venus naturally came to be associated with the Vinalia. The April 23rd ritual included pouring out wine at a temple of Venus. This wine was directed towards Jupiter.
Vinalia Rustica
The Vinalia rustica were celebrated on August 19th by all the inhabitants of
Latium , the region in central Italy in which Rome is located. This festival is similar to that of the Vinalia urbana because it was originally sacred to Jupiter and later was conducted at the temples of Venus in her honor. On this occasion, the priest of Jupiter, "Flamen Dialis ", offered lambs to Jupiter on the altar while he broke grapes from a vine with his own hands. Due to the intense drinking and loss of control as a result, upper-class Roman women were supervised during this festival and sometimes given lower alcoholic content beverages.Documentation
A well-documented account of the origins and rise of the celebration of the festival is given by
Festus .Notes
Bibliography
* Schmitz, Leonhard. "A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities." (1875) p. 1198.
* Gratwick, A.s. "Catullus XXXII." "Classical Quarterly" [date missing] .
* Wlson, Harry Langford. "New Italic Divinity." "The American Journal of Philology."
* Schmitz, Leonhard. "A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities." (1875) p. 1198
* Schilling, Robert. "Rome and Venus." "The Classical Review" [date missing] .
* Review by Anthony J. Podlecki of Oswyn Murray, "In Vino Veritas" [periodical missing] .
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