NOVA ROMA ::: Religio Romana

CAERIMONIA EQUIRRIAE

I bathed in preparation, then, garbed in toga praetexta, cinctu Gabino,
capite velato, I began the praefatio.

Praefatio

"Iane Pater, te hoc ture ommovendo bonas preces precor, uti sies volens
propitius mihi et Senatui Populoque Novae Romae

[Father Ianus, by offering this incense to you I pray good prayers, so that you may be willingly propitious to me and the Senate and People of Nova Roma"].

I placed incense in the focus of the altar.

"Iuppiter Optime Maxime, te hoc ture ommovendo bonas preces precor, uti
sies volens propitius mihi et Senatui Populoque Novae Romae

[Iuppiter Best and Greatest, by offering this incense to you I pray good prayers,
so that you may be willingly propitious to me and the Senate and People
of Nova Roma"].

I placed incense in the focus of the altar.

"Iuno Dea, te hoc ture ommovendo bonas preces precor, uti sies volens
propitia mihi et Senatui Populoque Novae Romae

[Goddess Iuno, by offering this incense to you I pray good prayers, so that you may be willingly propitious to me and the Senate and People of Nova Roma"].

I placed incense in the focus of the altar.

"Minerva Dea, te hoc ture ommovendo bonas preces precor, uti sies volens
propitia mihi et Senatui Populoque Novae Romae

[Goddess Minerva, by offering this incense to you I pray good prayers, so that you may be willingly propitious to me and the Senate and People of Nova Roma."

I placed incense in the focus of the altar.

"Quirine Pater, te hoc ture ommovendo bonas preces precor, uti sies
volens propitius mihi et Senatui Populoque Novae Romae

[Father Quirinus, by offering this incense to you I pray good prayers, so that you may be willingly propitious to me and the Senate and People of Nova Roma.]"

I placed incense in the focus of the altar.

"Iane Pater, uti te ture ommovendo bonas preces bene precatus sum,
eiusdem rei ergo macte vino inferio esto

[Father Ianus, as by offering to you the incense virtuous prayers were well prayed, for the sake of this be honoured by this humble wine.]"

I poured a libation on the altar.

"Iuppiter Optime Maxime, uti te ture ommovendo bonas preces bene
precatus sum, eiusdem rei ergo macte vino inferio esto

[Iuppiter Best and Greatest, as by offering to you the incense virtuous prayers were well prayed, for the sake of this be honoured by this humble wine.]"

I poured a libation on the altar.

"Iuno Dea, uti te ture ommovendo bonas preces bene precatus sum, eiusdem
rei ergo macte vino inferio esto

[Goddess Iuno, as by offering to you the incense virtuous prayers were well prayed, for the sake of this be honoured by this humble wine.]"

I poured a libation on the altar.

"Minerva Dea, uti te ture ommovendo bonas preces bene precatus sum,
eiusdem rei ergo macte vino inferio esto

[Goddess Minerva, as by offering to you the incense virtuous prayers were well prayed, for the sake of this be honoured by this humble wine.]"

I poured a libation on the altar.

"Quirine Pater, uti te ture ommovendo bonas preces bene precatus sum,
eiusdem rei ergo macte vino inferio esto

[Father Mars, as by offering to you the incense virtuous prayers were well prayed, for the sake of this be honoured by this humble wine.]"

I poured a libation on the altar.

I washed my hands in preparation for the praecatio.

Precatio

"Mars Pater, te precor uti fortitudine et peritia horum equitum
Equirriae Senatus Populusque Norvorum Romanorum Quiritum iniciantur et
sies volens propitius mihi et Senatui Populoque Novorum Romanorum
Quiritum. Mars Pater, qui currui temporis equos citos suos iungit ut
mensem Martii adduucat, tibi fieri oportet culignam vini dapi, eius rei
ergo hac illace dape pullucenda esto

[Father Mars, I pray you that the Senate and People of the Nova Romans, the Quirites, may be inspired by the courage and skill of these horsemen of the Equirria and that you may be propitious to the Senate and People of the Nova Romans, the
Quirites. Father Mars, who hitches his swift horses to the chariot of time to bring on the month of March, to you it is proper for a cup of wine to be given, for the sake of this thing therefore may you be honoured by this feast offering]."

I poured a libation on the altar and added laurel.

Again I washed my hands in preparation for the redditio.

Redditio

"Mars Pater, qui in campo suo certamen Equirriae semper prospicit, macte
istace dape pollucenda esto, macte vino inferio esto

[Father Mars, who always observes from afar the race of the Equirria on his own field, may you be honoured by this feast offering, may you be honoured by the
humble wine.]"

I offered Mars Pater laurel, cakes and wine on the altar.

"Quirine pater, uti te ture ommovendo bonas preces bene precatus sum,
eiusdem rei ergo macte vino inferio esto

[Father Mars, as by offering to you the incense virtuous prayers were well prayed, for the sake of this be honoured by this humble wine.]"

I poured a libation on the altar.

"Minerva Dea, uti te ture ommovendo bonas preces bene precatus sum,
eiusdem rei ergo macte vino inferio esto

[Goddess Minerva, as by offering to you the incense virtuous prayers were well prayed, for the sake of this be honoured by this humble wine.]"

I poured a libation on the altar.

"Iuno Dea, uti te ture ommovendo bonas preces bene precatus sum, eiusdem
rei ergo macte vino inferio esto

[Goddess Iuno, as by offering to you the incense virtuous prayers were well prayed, for the sake of this be honoured by this humble wine.]"

I poured a libation on the altar.

"Iuppiter Optime Maxime, uti te ture ommovendo bonas preces bene
precatus sum, eiusdem rei ergo macte vino inferio esto

[Iuppiter Best and Greatest, as by offering to you the incense virtuous prayers were well prayed, for the sake of this be honoured by this humble wine.]"

I poured a libation on the altar.

"Iane Pater, uti te ture ommovendo bonas preces bene precatus sum,
eiusdem rei ergo macte vino inferio esto

[Father Ianus, as by offering to you the incense virtuous prayers were well prayed, for the sake of this be honoured by this humble wine.]"

I poured a libation on the altar.

"Illicet [It is permitted to go.]"

I profaned wine and cakes, and I partook of the epulum with Mars Pater,
praying as I ate and offering libations in my private devotions.

Piaculum

Since the historical caerimonia of the feria of the Equirria has not yet
been recovered (in fact we know virtually nothing about it; a few
formulae here have been adapted from Ovid's _Fasti_) , I offered a
piaculum to Mars Pater if anything in this caerimonia should offend him:

"Mars Pater, si quidquam tibi in hac caerimonia displicet, hoc ture
veniam peto et vitium meum expio

[Father Mars, if anything in this ceremony is displeasing to you, with this incense I ask forgiveness and expiate my fault.]"

I offered incense on the altar.

"Mars Pater, si quidquam tibi in hac caerimonia displicet, hoc vino
inferio veniam peto et vitium meum expio

[Father Mars, if anything in this ceremony is displeasing to you, with this humble wine I ask forgiveness and expiate my fault.]"