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The day to go around the field. Moveable Ritual from VI-IV Kalends June
The Ambarvalia, from the Latin *ambiō*, "I go around", and *arvum*, "field". Was a festival held during the last weeks of May.
The fields of the farmer were purified from evil influences just as the houses were in the Lemuria. A magic circle was created by a procession around the fields or the sacred pace in need of purification, while offerings were made to the appropriate deities.
See also: Lemuria (Wikipedia, via gemini proxy)
A town could be purified as well during the Ambarvalia by a similar process of lustration.
Lustration: The process of making something clear or pure. -- A fancy-pants way of saying "purification"
This was a day of rest for people and animals. Farmers put garlands around their oxes, and celebrants had to be ritually cleaned by a hand-washing ceremony. No sexual intercourse was allowed on the night prior to the celebration.
Virgil wrote that at the Ambarvalia, people wore crowns of oak leaves and went around the fields three times, singing, dancing, and urging Ceres to come to their homes. (Georgics 1.345)
The Ambarvalia was associated with the goddess Dea Dia, Mars, Ceres, and Bacchus.
📕 Bernstein, Frances. "Classical Living: Reconnecting with the Rituals of Ancient Rome". HarperCollins, 2000. pg. 104
Wikipedia, _Ambarvalia_, via gemini proxy.
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✍️ Last Updated: 2021-06-09