Parentalia

By Crusader1307

An Ancient Roman Festival related to ''Ancestor Worship'' – ''Parentalia'' was a 9-Day Ceremony which began in the Month of February. Vestal Priestesses were employed in Rome to lead all required Prayers and Rituals. The City was made festive by thousands of flowers and bread soaked in various Wines, all as offerings to One's Ancestors. The Parentalia was also known as the one time ''Manes'' (Roman Ghosts), were ''encouraged'' to ''appear'' and commune with their ''Living Descendants''. Local Tombs, both above ground and below (in some cases), were cleaned for such visits. Hundreds of thousands of candles were placed in Roman Cemeteries for the purposes of illuminating the Night for ''Ancestors'' to make their way from The ''Afterlife'' back to The ''Living World''. With Christianization after the 3rd Century AD – Parentalia would be abandoned and replaced with veneration of Souls in both Heaven and Purgatory (''All Soul's Day'' and ''All Saint's Day'').