Floralia Aquincensia Nova Romana

Revision as of 16:23, 6 August 2011

XXIst Floralia organized by Nova Roma in Aquincum (Budapest)

See photo report here

Floralia Festival in Aquincum (Budapest)

Pannonia Provincia participated in a great and magnificent Hungarian event, the Floralia Historical Festival in the ruins of Aquincum, today Budapest, on a.d. XVI Kal. Iun. ‡ and a.d. XV Kal. Iun. ‡M. Moravio T. Iulio cos. ‡ MMDCCLXI a.u.c..

In this event Pannonian citizens performed legionary spectacles, Cn. Lentulus, legatus pro praetore Pannoniae conducted a reenactment performance of a Mithraic initiation ritual and that of a Roman wedding. There was a slave market reenactment game, too.

The Roman wedding was the most beautiful, but the whole event was amusing, because we were in the ruins, in the original Aquincum streets, colums...

More about Aquincum: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquincum

Besides these reenactments, there was held a wonderful real and official Nova Roman sacrifice to all the Gods of Rome and to Concordia, for the Tenth Anniversary of Nova Roma, for Her citizens and for the Nova Roman Concordance.

At this official sacrifice for Nova Roma there were present (besides Quaestor and Governor Cn. Lentulus) two other Nova Roman notability, L. Livia Plauta and Q. Arrius Nauta, both tribuni plebis - and several other Pannonian citizens and associate members from the "Gladius" Reenactor Association.

Reenactment of a Roman wedding

The next picture is a historical reenactment of a confarreatio. Cn. Lentulus in the role of pontifex and two members of the "Gladius" Reenactor Association as bride and groom. T. Popillia Laenas as assistant holds the sacral text of the ceremony reenactment:

Real sacrifice to all Gods and to Concordia for Nova Roma in Aquincum

On the next pictures you can see a real (not reenactment) sacrifice conducted in the ruins of Aquincum, before the ruins of an ancient Roman temple. The ceremony began with a pompa, led by Governor Cn. Lentulus, consular quaestor, sacerdos Pannoniae and sacerdos Concordiae, followed by the Legio XXI Rapax and the crowd of visitors and spectators. The first picture shows the pompa:

The sacral procession goes forward to the altar, where the priestly assistants are waiting:

The pompa of Nova Romans and spectators of the Floralia Festival are processing to the altar on the ancient ways of Aquincum:

The altar before the ruins of an ancient temple. L. Livia Plauta, tribuna plebis, scriba of the Pannonian legatus pro praetore Cn. Lentulus and T. Popillia Laenas, citizen of Pannonia, both priestly assistants of sacerdos Lentulus, are preparing to the ceremony and awaiting for the arrival of the procession:

The sacrifice begins. The priest and his assistants are capite velato. Cn. Cornelius Lentulus, consular quaestor, legatus pro praetore, sacerdos of the province and sacerdos of Goddess Concordia, salutes the altar with adoratio:

Cn. Lentulus recites the prayer reading the text from a paper that Popillia holds in her hands, while the crowd of spectators are watching the ritual. In the background: ruins of the Forum of Aquincum, the curia and the basilica:

Lentulus, governor and priest, recites the prayer: "Concordia populi Novi Romani Quiritium, esto, fito volens, propitia...!"

Devotion. Lentulus prays and honours the Gods over the altar:

Sacrifice of incense. The priest puts incense in the focus of the altar, the assistant holds the paper with the sacral texts:

Sacrifice of wine mixed with honey. Lentulus raises the pitcher with the wine that will be sacrificed on the altar. The smoke of the incense just sacrificed fumes mysteriously and wreathes Nova Roma with the pleased divine will:

Over the shoulder of a legionarius you can see Lentulus closing the ritual with reciting the words of the piaculum:

Other pictures from the galery

You can see many other and even better photos of our event here:

• More photos about the soldiers
• More photos about the wedding

Some examples: