December 4th Festival Of Bona Dea

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IN ROMAN MYTHOLOGY, "BONA DEA" WAS THE GODDESS OF FERTILITY, HEALING, VIRGINITY, AND WOMEN. THE DAUGHTER OF THE GOD, FAUNUS, SHE WAS ALSO KNOWN AS "FAUNA", THE "GOOD GODDESS". A PERPETUALLY VIRGIN GODDESS, SHE WAS THE GODDESS OF CHASTITY AND FRUITFULNESS IN WOMEN. SHE PRESIDES OVER THE EARTH AND ALL OF THE BLESSINGS ASSOCIATED WITH IT. SHE IS USUALLY DEPICTED WITH A SCEPTRE IN HER LEFT HAND, A WREATH OF VINE LEAVES ON HER HEAD, AND A JAR OF WINE AT HER SIDE. NEAR HER IMAGE WAS A CONSECRATED SERPENT.

SHE WAS ALSO ASSOCIATED WITH HEALING, AND ALL KINDS OF HEALING PLANTS WERE PRESERVED IN HER SANCTUARY. SHE WAS REGARDED IN ROME AS AN AUSTERE VIRGIN GODDESS, WHOSE TEMPLE MEN WERE FORBIDDEN TO ENTER. SHE BELONGED, ACCORDINGLY, TO THE CIRCLE OF DEITIES WHO WERE WORSHIPPED BY THE VESTAL VIRGINS.

SHE WAS WORSHIPPED IN A TEMPLE ON AVENTINE HILL, BUT HER SECRET RITES WERE HELD ELSEWHERE. HER SECRET RITES, HELD ON DECEMBER 4TH OF EACH CALENDAR YEAR, WERE VERY PRIVATE AND INCLUDED WOMEN ONLY BECAUSE SHE WAS LOOKED UPON AS A HEALING POWER; MEN, AND EVEN MALE ANIMALS, WERE NOT ALLOWED TO ATTEND. ALL NIGHT LONG WOMEN SACRIFICED AND DANCED IN HONOR OF "BONA DEA". THE SECRET SITE WAS DECORATED WITH VINE BRANCHES AND OTHER PLANTS AND FLOWERS. WINE WAS SERVED, BUT IT WAS REFERRED TO AS "MILK "AND THE JAR IN WHICH IT WAS SERVED WAS CALLED A "HONEY POT". A PIG WAS SACRIFICED TO HER AT THE RITUAL.

THEN, IN THE YEAR 62 BCE, THE CELEBRATION WAS TO BE HELD IN THE HOME OF JULIUS CAESAR. HIS WIFE "POMPEIA "AND HIS MOTHER," AURELIA, "WERE IN CHARGE. A RATHER NOTORIOUS ROMAN POLITICIAN, PUBLIUS CLODIUS"," WANTING TO CRASH THE EVENT, DRESSED HIMSELF AS A WOMAN AND SNUCK INTO THE HOUSE. EVENTUALLY, HE WAS CAUGHT BY CAESAR'S MOTHER AND KICKED OUT, AND THE CEREMONY HAD TO BE PERFORMED ANEW. AFTERWARDS, CAESAR DIVORCED HIS WIFE, AND PUBLIUS CLODIUS WAS SUED. HE AND CAESAR BECAME MORTAL ENEMIES OVER THE AFFAIR. THE RITES FELL INTO DISREPUTE OVER THE EVENTS, AND BY THE EARLY EMPIRE, THE FESTIVAL ITSELF DEGENERATED INTO A MYSTIC PERFORMANCE WHICH WAS CONSIDERED NOTHING MORE THAN A DRUNKEN ORGY FOR GIRLS.

You also may enjoy this free books:

Prophet Milosh Of Zee - Necromemecon The Book Of Dead Memes
Howard Phillips Lovecraft - The Festival
Leo Ruickbie - Imbolc Festival Of The Goddess Brigid

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