Vestalia, held from 7 to 15 June, was the annual festival of Vesta, during which the inner sanctum of her temple in the Forum, normally closed to all but the Vestal Virgins, was opened to Roman matrons who brought food offerings barefoot, and the temple was ritually cleansed at the festival's close, with the sweepings carried out and disposed of at a designated site.
Facts
Reckoning
Calendar SystemIts own record dates it "from 7 to 15 June." Fixed or MovableFixed date in its own calendar 1 Observance
Observance TypeVeneration of a deity or holy figure 1 Observance Type Connections
Belongs to Tradition
Source Religions of Rome, Volume 1: A HistoryMary Beard, John North and Simon Price
Follows Calendar
Originated In
Source Vestalia (Wikipedia)
Related To
Source Rome's Vestal Virgins: A Study of Rome's Vestal Priestesses in the Late Republic and Early PrincipateRobin Lorsch Wildfang
Sacred To
Vesta, Deities Vestalia's own description already names it "the annual festival of Vesta."
Source Religions of Rome, Volume 1: A HistoryMary Beard, John North and Simon Price
Sources
1. Religions of Rome, Volume 1: A History
Mary Beard, John North and Simon Price, Cambridge University Press, 1998on Vestalia and the cult of VestaView the Source Rome's Vestal Virgins: A Study of Rome's Vestal Priestesses in the Late Republic and Early Principate
Robin Lorsch Wildfang, Routledge, London and New York, 2006on the Vestal cult calendar
Vestalia (Wikipedia)
Originated In: Italy, LeadQuote, Originated In: Italy, Lead
was a Roman religious festival in honor of Vesta
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