The Armilustrium was a festival in honor of Mars, the god of war, celebrated on the 19th october.
Armilustrium, in honor of Mars
On this day, the soldiers' weapons were ritually purified and stored for the winter. The army would be assembled and reviewed in the Circus Maximus, garlanded with flowers. Trumpets (tubae) would be played as part of the purification rites.
The Romans gathered with their weapons and armor on the Aventine Hill and held a procession with torches and sacrificial animals. Dancing priests of Mars known as Salii may also have taken part in the ceremony.
Festivals associated with Mars were held primarily in March, the Latin Martius, the month that bears his name, and in October, to begin and end the military campaign season.
These festivals were the Equirria, the sacred chariot races held on February 27 and March 14, and on October 15 with the sacrifice of the October horse; the Agonium Martiale on March 17; the Quinquatrus, another ritual of purification of weapons before the military campaign, on March 19; and after the Armilustrium, the Tubilustrium, "Purification of the Trumpets", on October 23.
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On this day, the Romans celebrated the Armilustrium, in honor of Mars. On this day, the weapons of the soldiers were ritually purified and stored for the winter. #mythology #myth #legend #calendar #19October #rome #armilustrium
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