The Roman Celebration of the Liberalia
Roman Spring Festival for the Wine God Liber
Liber was one of the original Roman gods. A favourite of the plebeians, he was the god of fertility and wine. His festival on the 17th March was an occasion to celebrate the return of life. It was also a favourite time for Roman boys to come of age.
Who was Liber?
Liber was the Roman god of wine and fertility. Also known as ‘Pater liber’ or ‘the free father, he was one of the twelve traditional Roman councillor gods assembled by Jupiter. Commonly described as a happy, fat, bald old man accompanied by satyrs, liber was a god popular with the Plebeians
Liber had no major temple of his own in the city of Rome. He was part of the Aventine Triad and shared a temple in this part of the city with Ceres, the roman goddess of agriculture who was reputedly his mother and the goddess Libera who was regarded as his sister. Cicero suggests that it was his status as one of Ceres’s children that gave Liber his name, coming from the word liberi meaning children. The meaning of that name changed with time and Liber’s name became associated with the concept of freedom.
Together, with Libera, Liber was concerned with seeds and fertility. Later he also became associated with wine. The Aventine temple was founded in 493BC, meaning that Liber’s cult can be dated back to at least the fifth century BC.
Liber’s Associations with Wine and Honey
Liber was the Roman god of wine because like grain it was an important Roman agricultural product. The vine was one of the first crops that the Romans grew and grapes were regarded as one of the most essential fruits.
Honey is also another product that Liber was associated with. In keeping with his rural roots, liber is credited with the discovery of honey and the domestication of bees. Legend states that a swarm of bees became attracted to the cymbal music created by his satyrs, taking it to be the drowning of other bees. On capturing the bees, liber created the first domestic hive in a tree.
Liber’s Festival: The Liberalia
Liber’s festival, the Liberalia can also be dated back to the fifth century BC. Falling on the 17th March, it was a holiday and celebration popular amongst the plebs. It was a celebration of spring and its rituals were full of the symbols of renewed fertility.
The festival was rural in flavour. Traditionally it began with a phallus being paraded through the fields outside Rome before entering the city. The procession was accompanied by crude rustic songs.
Sacrifices were made to Liber to ensure his favour. Special honey drenched cakes known as liba were made given to liber as were offerings of wine. Known as libations after Liber and his celebrations, they were originally of milk in the time of Romulus.
The day was not only dedicated to the return of spring. The Liberalia was also the day that sixteen year old boys came of age and put on their togas for the first time. Ovid explains this tradition as having a number of reasons. Liber being the father of all would bless the boys in his care and this would be a favourable day to begin their full productive lives as roman citizens. Also, the custom was as old as the festival, dating from the time that everyone farmed and so worshipped Liber. High and low would have joined in the festivities. What better day to have your coming of age witnessed and celebrated?
Sources:
The Oxford Dictionary of Classical Myth and Religion (2003). Ed Simon Price and Emily Kearns. Oxford University Press.
Ovid ‘Fasti’ trans. A J Boyle and R D Woodard. Penguin Books.
Cicero: The Nature of the Gods. Trans. Horace c P Mcgregor. Penguin Books
Varro: On Agriculture. Loeb Classical Library
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