The 2018 Roma Lupercalia Weekend

By Bixyl Shuftan


So what did people do around the time of Valentines Day before the holiday came about? In the days of the Romans, they had a yearly festival called the Lupercalia. The rites in the event were believed to deter evil spirits and purify the city. The most familiar of these rituals were young men running naked or nearly naked through the streets and lightly slapping people with thongs of hide made from a sacrificed goat. Women sometimes got in their way in hopes that being struck would help them become pregnant. Sometimes called "Februatus," the modern calendar in the West gets "February" from the name.

Although the holiday was held on February 15 in ancient times, the Roma community in Second Life holds their festivals at the end of the month. So the days of the celebration inworld were the Weekend of Saturday February 24 and Sunday February 25. And at 10AM Saturday, members of the community, and a few friends of theirs, gathered at the Lupercal cave. There, two women, Maali Beck and Melanippe Karas, reenacted the ritual for Faunus Lupercus, the God of Wild Things and Lupa, the female wolf in Roman legend who was believed to have raised the founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus, until they were found by a shepherd.

Maali Beck: "Salve Ianus Pater - Ianus Inceptio, Ianus Brifons, Ianus Patulcius, Ianus Domesticus, Ianus Quirinus! Te precor uti sis volens mihi propitius. Admitte me coram numina lucentia! Hail, Father Janus - Janus of Beginnings, Two Faced Janus, Janus Door Opener, Janus Home Protector, Janus of the Folk! I pray to You so that You willingly might be well-disposed towards me. May I behold the Shining Gods!"

Melanippe of Themiscyra (Melanippe Karas): "Ave Iuppiter Optime Maxime Pater Omnipotens Rex Deorum hominumque. Sive quo alio nomine appelari voluveris si pietae mereor da mihi Roma nostrae prosperitatem ac felicitatem in opere nostro. Hail, Jupiter Optimus Maximus, Almighty Father, King of Gods and Men. Or by whatever title else that You may have willed to be named. If by obedience I am deserving, then give to me and to our Roma prosperity as well as happiness in our work."

After the pair and several others saying "Ita est," Maali went to the next part of the ritual, "Ave Faunus Lupercus. Te hoc vino ommovendo bonas preces, precor uti sies volens propitious illis Quiritibus te laudatis, quoius re ergo hoc sacrificium offero. Hail, Faunus Lupercus. With good prayers I offer to You this wine. May it be Your will to look with favor upon these folk who have honored You, for which purpose I make this offering."

After several more calls of, "Ita est," Maali went further, "Faunus Lupercus, God of the Wilds, bless us this Lupercalia. Yours is the season of fertility, passion, and lust. Grant us fertility, not only of the body, but of the mind. Let our creative visions come to fruition. Grant us passion, not only of the flesh, but of the heart. Let our spirits be inflamed with the passion of living. Grant us lust, not only of our loins, but the lust for success, in all our endeavors. Let us achieve all our desires." Melanippe spoke, "Ianus Pater Ivppiter Pater et Faunus Lupercus, si quidquam fuit vobis ingratum in stipe a me oblata, accipite hoc piaculum. Father Janus, Father Jupiter, and Faunus Lupercus, if anything was displeasing to You in the offered gift from me, receive Ye this rite of atonement. Ita vultis ita est! So You will, so it is!"

After several more spoke "Ita est," Maali went on, "Quod bonum faustum felix fortunatum salutareque sit mihi Maali Beck ac nationi Romae Universae. Ita est! May I, Maali Beck, and the entire nation of Roma have what is goodly, auspicious, fruitful, fortunate, and wholesome. It is so!" Melanippe then spoke, "Ilicet! It is done!" Maali then spoke to the crowd, "The rite is now ended - The Luperci will now lead you from the cave for the Running of the Luperci. This year we race to the Gardens of Maecenas for our post-ritual celebration! Mela and I will lead you, and the other Luperci will follow behind the crowd, snapping their whips to bless you. (And hurry you along, perhaps!) Everyone ready?"

And with that, the crowd rushed out of the cave and down the streets, with the Luperci occasionally snapping their thongs. The people ran around, and ended up at a dance area with a bonfire. There, the folk danced to the music, and sometimes strummed some instruments.

When the hour was close, the people headed to the bathhouse. This was where the second event of the festival took place: "Venus' Truth." In previous years called "Venus' Truth or Dare," this year people were just asked to recite poems. The woman portraying Venus watched from a giant shel while the audience watched from the steps to the baths, or sat in inner-tubes.

Glittering-throned, undying Aphrodite,
Wile-weaving daughter of high Zeus, I pray thee,
Tame not my soul with heavy woe, dread mistress,
 Nay, nor with anguish!

But hither come, if ever erst of old time
Thou didst incline, and listenedst to my crying,
And from thy father's palace down descending,
 Camest with golden

Chariot yoked: thee fair swift-flying sparrows
Over dark earth with multitudinous fluttering,
Pinion on pinion, through middle ether
 Down from heaven hurried.

Quickly they came like light, and thou, blest lady,
Smiling with clear undying eyes didst ask me
What was the woe that troubled me, and wherefore
 I had cried to thee:

What thing I longed for to appease my frantic
Soul: and Whom now must I persuade, thou askedst,
Whom must entangle to thy love, and who now,
 Sappho, hath wronged thee?

Yea, for if now he shun, he soon shall chase thee;
Yea, if he take not gifts, he soon shall give them;
Yea, if he love not, soon shall he begin to
 Love thee, unwilling.

Come to me now too, and from tyrannous sorrow
Free me, and all things that my soul desires to
Have done, do for me, queen, and let thyself too
 Be my great ally!

Eventually, the event came to a close, and the woman portraying Venus spoke, "My children, I shall ascend to the heavens and gaze upon ROMA lovingly, protecting you from all harm. Remember to love one another and continue the beautiful community that ROMA has become." She blew some kisses to the crowd, then vanished. Then Cupid appeared, watching the people with innertubes bump one another, "So, you have no poetry to share but bumps of affection with your floating things?" When asked, "You make poems Cupid?" He answered, "I mostly seem to make trouble." Talking about what was a particuarly lovely moment, someone suggested when a new puppy is brought into a house. The talk went on for a while, and eventually the time for the next event approached. Cupid went, "I must be about my work anyway. My family's blessings on you, Romans!"

The crowd then moved on to the arena. After a few minutes of waiting for anyone dropping in at the last-minute, T. Iulius Sabinus (titusiuliussabinus Resident) shouted, "Salvete Romani et Peregrinii! Welcome to the Lupercalia Munera. As time as our narrator is missing in action I will take over this part too. As many of you know, and if don't know will know now, the gladiators group perform weekly in Roma starting with 12 pm SLT. The show try to be historical accurate. During festivals we perform another kind, more related to the festival theme. Mythological creatures are included too."

After introducing three of the usual gladiators, T Iulius went, "After our usual warm up I will continue with a few words about the current festiva Lupercalia. And what can be more relevant than the poem of Horace.Hymon to Faunus, Q. Horatius Flaccus, Odes, Book III, Poem 18."

O wont the flying Nymphs to woo,
Good Faunus, through my sunny farm
Pass gently, gently pass, nor do
My younglings harm.

Each year, thou know'st, a kid must die
For thee; nor lacks the wine's full stream
To Venus' mate, the bowl; and high
The altars steam.

Sure as December's Nones appear,
All o'er the grass the cattle play;
The village, with the lazy steer,
Keeps holy day.

Wolves rove among the fearless sheep;
The woods for thee their foliage strow;
The delver loves on earth to leap,
His ancient foe.

After the applause, T Iulius continued, "Well, let start our show. The first act is reconstruction of a battle, BELLUM MARCOMANNUM, Battle vs Marcomanns. The struggle against the Germans and Sarmatians occupied the major part of the reign of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, and it was during his campaigns against them that he started writing his philosophical work Meditations, whose book one bears the note 'Among the Quadi at the Granua'." The fight had one legionare versus two warriors clad in wolfskin and armed with axes. The fight was furious, but with two against one, the Roman was not the one to be victorious this time. T lulius, not at a loss for words, remarked, "It seems that in the end this was the reconstruction of the Teutoburg Forest battle. For sure Marcus Aurelius would not be happy of it end."

After the fighters from the first act cleared the arena, T Iulius went on, "Our next acts are related to Lupercalia. But for that i want to present you a some information. LEXICON MYTHOLOGIAE. Lycaon - In Greek mythology, Lycaon was a king of Arcadia,, who, in the most popular version of the myth, tested Zeus' omniscience by serving him the roasted flesh of Lycaon's own son Nyctimus, in order to see whether Zeus was truly all-knowing. In return for these gruesome deeds, Zeus transformed Lycaon into a wolf, along with his offspring. Nyctimus was restored to life. Satyr - In mythology, Satyrs are deities of the woods and mountains. A satyr is the member of a troop of ithyphallic male companions of Dionysus; they usually have horse-like ears and tails, as well as permanent, exaggerated erections. However in Roman representations they are portrayed as having the upper body of a man with a goat’s ears, tail, legs and horns but Satyrs can come in other hybrid human/animal forms, as well. And our next event is in conection with satyrs and lycaons. CERTAMEN ARCADIAE (Arcadian struggle): Satyr vs Lycaons,"

The fight put a giant satyr, armed with a spiked (and bloody) club versus two werewolves that were armed only with their claws. The fight went fast and furious, with the wolves leaping a few times, "Flying wolf-people!" "Is not sure whose side she should cheer for." This time, superior numbers did not prevail, and the wolves were knocked out. "We have a winner, ladies and gentlemen! The, er, Satyr!" "Impressive fighting!" The huge humanoid bowed, and left the arena, along with the wolves after they revived.

The next part, T Iulius spoke, "As many you know, during Lupercalia a ritual was held. During it a goat and a dog was sacrificed. Of course now in modern times we don't reconstruct that. We all love animals. But symbolic want to present you, Lupercus vs Goat!" There were a few chuckles from the audience, "And our next event is - a fearsome, a deadly - er, goat?" The match pitted a Luperci with a knife versus someone in a feral goat avatar armed with only his horns. The goat put up a fight, "C'mon GOAT!" But unfortunately for the critter, horns were no match for iron, and it fell. "Awwwww. Brave goat." T. Iulius shouted, "Roma is purified!" One resident commented, "Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we have the most ferocious, deadly wild beasts here each week.  and goats, too."

Once the Luperci and the goat were out, T. Iulius announced, "For the last act of festival we present you a scene of wild life." After a moment, the area was filled with rocks and grass, and appeared a lion couple and cubs. The smaller kitties were well received by the audience, "Aww, little cubs." "I want one too." But the idyllic scene didn't last for long as a crocodile entered the arena, getting some gasps from the crowd, "No no, don't hurt the baby!" The big cats went after the reptile, and after a furious fight, the couple stood over the defeated scaly beast, and the audience cheered, "They kept her from the cubs, hooray!"

Melanippe announced, "On behalf of the Consul and the Consul Pro Tem, I'd like to award our brave lion family and dead crocodile a token of appreciation! ... Gratias for a splendid and well-thought-out show!" "A masterpiece!" another complemented.

With the fight over, people began heading out, "Thanks to all, see you later, happy Lupercalia!" There would be two events the next day, chariot racing and "Half-naked Harpastum," a Roman version of soccer in which this time, the women would be topless. Unfortunately, the Newser was unable to be there. So there would be no pictures of half-naked female athletes.

The Roman community has events at the end of every month, so be sure and stop by next time.

Bixyl Shuftan

Lupercalia at Roma

By Deaflegacy Darkbloom

On Saturday last weekend, the Roma community held it's Lupercalia festival, starting it with a ceremony. Isa of Chaeronea and Zelda Horatia Valpolia were the ones who started the rite. "The rite will begin in a moment, but before we start, we'd like to explain a bit about the Lupercalia and the rite. The Lupercalia festival was in honor of the She-Wolf (Lupa) who suckled the infant orphans, Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome." Isa of Chaeronea said. "The name of the festival, Lupercalia, translates into "Wolf Festival." The festival was celebrated near the Cave of Lupercal on the Palatine (one of the seven  hills of Rome), to expiate and purify new life in the Spring. The religious ceremonies were directed by the Luperci, the "brothers of the wolf (lupus)", a corporation of priests of Faunus." said Isa of Chaeronea

"In today's rite, we will invoke Faunus Lupercus (otherwise known as Pan in Greece), as He is the God that presides over Lupercalia." said Zelda Horatia Valpolia. "Lupercalia is primarily a festival of fertility, and Faunus was seen by Romans as the epitome of the lusty passion from which fertility is born."

Isa of Chaeronea explained what the rite is all about and how it works.  "The ancient festival began with the sacrifice by the Luperci of two male goats and a dog. Next, two young patrician Luperci were led to the altar, to be anointed on their foreheads with the sacrificial blood, which was wiped off the bloody knife with wool soaked in milk, after which they were expected to smile and laugh; the smearing of the forehead with blood probably refers to human sacrifice originally practised at the festival." said Isla of Chaeronea.

Zelda Horatia Valpolia also explained. "The sacrificial feast followed, after which the Luperci cut thongs from the skins of the sacrifice, dressed themselves in the remainder of the goat skins, in imitation of 

Faunus Lupercus." said Zelda Horatia Valpolia. "They then ran round the walls of the old Palatine city with the thongs in their hands in two bands, striking the people who crowded near."

 "Girls and young women would line up on their route to receive lashes from these whips. This was supposed to ensure fertility, prevent sterility in women and ease the pains of childbirth." said Isa of Chaeronea. "Today, the blessing we ask is for the fertility of body and of mind, a blessing on the creative process in all it's forms."

Zelda Horatia Valpolia said, "Here in our Roma, we do not practice blood sacrifice, but we will be 

celebrating the latter half of the festival, much as the Romans would have. After today's rite, we will lead you in the Running of The Luperci - as you race behind us, the other Luperci will follow behind you to bless you with their lashes as they pass."

With that, Isa of Chaeronea announced that "The Rite will now begin." While most of the rite was spoken in Latin, we came to understand what this was all about. The rite was with blessings and offerings.  When it was over, it was then announced "that the Luperci will now lead you from the cave for the Running of the Luperci. This year we race to the Gardens of Maecenas for our post-ritual celebration! Zelda and I will lead you, and the other Luperci will follow behind the crowd, snapping their whips to bless you. (And hurry you along, perhaps!)"

At the end, there was a race. The race had Kim Link, Aquadoc, T. Iulius Sabinus, and Alba Horatia Taura.  The race was full of cheers and encouragements as it went on.  In the long run, it was Kim Link who's the first place winner, Aquadoc second place, Alba Horatia Taura third place and T. Iulius Sabinus fourth place.

I can't say for the others, but I did learn something new from the rite and the race.  After all, there is always something new to learn about every day.

 

Deafleagacy Darkbloom

A Roman Holiday, a Rezzday, and Partying 'Till You're Purple

Last weekend in Second Life, Saturday February 21 to Sunday February 22, had quite a number of events. From the Roman Lupercalia, to the Second Life Science Fiction Convention, to the opening event of "Paint Second Life Purple, to Marianne McCann's Rezzday party, to the Veterans Isle fundraiser, there was plenty to see and do.

Saturday morning in the Roma community had the first day of their Lupercalia festival. A holiday of ancient Roman times, it has been loosely compered to Valentines Day, which later in history would fall around the same time of year.

In celebration of this most ancient of festivals we will be performing a Roman ritual for Faunus Lupercus, the God of Wild Things and Lupa, the she-wolf who nourished the founding fathers Romulus and Remus. After the rite, we will have the Running of The Luperci - half-naked youths and maidens who bless the people of the ROMA. The spectators will run ahead of the Luperci, who will lightly flog them with the goatskin floggers in hopes of fertility (both of mind and body). Following the ritual, we will have our traditional Lupercalia Feast - and clothing is optional!

I arrived a bit late to see the opening ritual and the Running of the Lupercalia itself, so sorry, no pictures of women (and men) getting flogged with goatskins soaked in milk. But I did come across the dance afterwards. There were some topless ladies, but not everyone was truly naked, as there were a few fig leafs and thin strips of cloth around. Someone commented this was the most dressed she'd seen the people at the festival. Still, it was amusing to see the one furred resident wearing more clothes than most of the bunch, until she put her toga aside, though was still wearing a bikini-like outfit.

There were two other events that day, a lecture on love and sexuality in Roman times, and a "Wolf Hunt" in which the participants would tag wolves around the area. But in this place in which lady furs were among the Romans, friends I talked to about the event had a few jokes about whom might be hunting whom. Sunday would have a Grand Feast and a game of Harpastum, a kind of Roman football.

That afternoon would be the opening party for "Paint Second Life Purple" event. This was the opening kickoff of the two week long Relay for Life spinoff event, which will end just as the official Relay season begins.

The official Paint SL Kickoff party will be held ...  on American Cancer Society Island from 4pm - 9pm. DJ Dee Wolfe will kick off the party at 4 pm SL time, followed by Special Guest’s Satin & Erin. DJ Dianne Wycliffe will close the part out from 7pm to 9 pm SL time.

The event was held on a platform high above the American Cancer Society sim, lined with purple buildings, had a floor littered with purple footprints leading away from purple paint cans. "Paint SL Purple" kits were available for pickup. The partiers themselves were dressed in purple outfits, had skins (or fur coats) dyed purple, or both. There were a number of Relay notables there, such as DJ Madonna, Trader Whiplash, and others.

It was enough to make one ... blue in the face. The party went on into the evening, lasting past it's planned closing time.

Besides the Purple event, the Second Life Cheerleading Squad RFL team would hold it's own event, a Mardi Gras party that lasted from 9AM to 9PM, with a mix of DJs and live musicians such as 10-11 Harmonia Trefoil.

Sunday would have it's own events. One took place at Bay City. It was the Rezzday of one of it's more noted locals and one of Second Life's most known child avatars: Marianne McCann.

The party was attended by a large number of residents from and outside the community, from Kenny Luckless, noted comedian Lauren Weyland, Uccello Poultry (Miss Bay CIty 2015), Torley Linden (via an alt), GoSpeed Racer who provided the music, Draxtor Despress of the "Drax Files," SL Nerwser's own DrFran Babcock, and many others.

 There were no shortage of jokes from, "Hippies are dropping in." "They'll let anyone in. Next it'll be mimes." "My only regret is not more watermelon." "You can't get more watermelon than Torley." "No nibbling on the Torley." "I never want a Rez party, I want to be a newbie for the rest of my life."

Marianne commented, "My rez age has finally surpassed my (roleplay) age." One resident responded, "Hehe, Mari, you have Simpsons Syndrome! You never age! *winks*" After some snickers, Uccie quipped, "Quick! paint her yellow!" After more chuckled, Marianne commented, "Heck, I still wear the same glasses I bought on February 22nd 2006." Of her beginings, she joked she " 'failed' orientation island, and had a friend tp me off after I stumbled into yet another river."

Uccello told the group, "I met Mari at SL6B (I think it was 6) when she did a space ship theme for her exhibit. It was really great, but of course I griped about something. We've kept in touch since! She's made my Second Life all the more special!"

Justin Esparaza commented, "I was looking through Salazar Jack’s computer and found some old photos of Marianne with Osprey Therian and Salazar. One of the three of them exploring Magellan Linden's Squall campsite and one where Mari and Sal were investigating Bodega going offline. I have to say they made nice rezday presents for Marianne." Marianne told him, "I deeply appreciate them, Justin."

Torley himself would say to the rezzday girl, "You are a true uber-explorer, Mari. I continue to enjoy the stories in your photos so much. Thanks for all your discoveries and sharing over the years, so much community spirit."

The party would continue on for a while, eventually everyone going their separate ways.

There were other goings on that day. The Second Life Science-Fiction Convention had opened Friday and people were continuing to see it's exhibits. That evening was the "Homes For Our Troops" fundraiser at Veterans Isle, featuring musicians such as Frets Nirvana. It would raise over 180,000 Lindens.

It was quite a weekend.

Bixyl Shuftan

The 2014 Roma Lupercalia Weekend

On the weekend of February 22 and 23, the ROMA community held it's Lupercalia Festival. For those who don't know, it was a festival in ancient Roman times held in February. The name comes from the Lupercal, the cave in the south side of Palatine Hill in Rome of which it's legendary founders Romulus and Remus were supposedly nursed by a female wolf until found by a shepherd. The festival was best known for it's rite of naked youths lightly flogging people with goatskins in the belief that this would encourage fertility. At least one description had the goatskins soaked in milk first.

In celebration of this most ancient of festivals we will be performing a Roman ritual for Faunus Lupercus, the God of Wild Things and Lupa, the she-wolf who nourished the founding fathers Romulus and Remus. After the rite, we will have the Running of The Luperci - half-naked youths who bless the citizens of the city. The citizens will run ahead of the Luperci, who will lightly flog them with the goatskin floggers in hopes of fertility (both of mind and body). Following the ritual, we will have our traditional Lupercalia Feast - and clothing is optional!

The first and main event, the Lupercalia ritual, took place at 10AM in ROMA Transtiberim (68, 200, 54). The Lupercal cave was recreated there, and residents and visitors gathered to either observe or take part. The event was designated as "clothing optional," though few went completely nude, some instead wearing much fewer clothes. One resident had his legs completely in goatskin, with hooves on his feet, giving him a saytyr-like appearance. The sight of a fur led someone to make an "animal sacrifice" joke, which was countered, "(laughter) We don''t do animal sacrifice in ROMA." "It's a touch subject for the vegetarians."

Gaius Tiberius Curio (guillaume.mistwalker) and Maali Beck explained the ritual, Gaius saying, "The rite will begin in a moment, but before we start, we'd like to explain a bit about the Lupercalia and the rite. The Lupercalia festival was in honor of the She-Wolf (Lupa) who suckled the infant orphans, Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome.  The name of the festival, Lupercalia, translates into 'Wolf Festival.' The festival was celebrated near the Cave of Lupercal on the Palatine (one of the seven hills of Rome), to expiate and purify new life in the Spring. The religious ceremonies were directed by the Luperci, the 'brothers of the wolf (lupus),' a corporation of priests of Faunus." Maali added, "In today's rite, we will invoke Faunus Lupercus (otherwise known as Pan in Greece), as He is the God that presides over Lupercalia. Lupercalia is primarily a festival of fertility, and Faunus was seen by Romans as the epitome of the lusty passion from which fertility is born."

Gaius continued, "The ancient festival began with the sacrifice by the Luperci of two male goats and a dog. Next, two young patrician Luperci were led to the altar, to be anointed on their foreheads with the sacrificial blood, which was wiped off the bloody knife with wool soaked in milk, after which they were expected to smile and laugh; the smearing of the forehead with blood probably refers to human sacrifice originally practised at the festival." Maali added, "The sacrificial feast followed, after which the Luperci cut thongs from the skins of the sacrifice, dressed themselves in the remainder of the goat skins, in imitation of Faunus Lupercus. They then ran round the walls of the old Palatine city with the thongs in their hands in two bands, striking the people who crowded near."

Gaius went on, "Girls and young women would line up on their route to receive lashes from these whips. This was supposed to ensure fertility, prevent sterility in women and ease the pains of childbirth. Today, the blessing we ask is for the fertilty of body and of mind, a blessing on the creative process in all it's forms." Maali added, "Maali Beck: Here in our Roma, we do not practice blood sacrifice, but we will be celebrating the latter half of the festival, much as the Romans would have. After today's rite, we will lead you in the Running of The Luperci - as you race behind us, the other Luperci will follow behind you to bless you with their lashes as they pass."

Gaius and Maali roleplayed the ritual in both English and Latin, "I consecrate this altar. ... Immortal Gods, I call You. Please bless me. As it is said, so must it be! ... Hail, Father Janus - Janus of Beginnings, Two Faced Janus, Janus Door Opener, Janus Home Protector, Janus of the Folk! ... I pray to You so that You willingly might be well-disposed towards me. May I behold the Shining Gods! ... Hail, Jupiter Optimus Maximus, Almighty Father, King of Gods and Men. Or by whatever title else that You may have willed to be named." "If by obedience I am deserving, then give to me and to our Roma prosperity as well as happiness in our work." "Hail, Faunus Lupercus. With good prayers I offer to You this wine. May it be Your will to look with favor upon these folk who have honored You, for which purpose I make this offering. ... Faunus Lupercus, God of the Wilds, bless us this Lupercalia. Yours is the season of fertility, passion, and lust. Grant us fertility, not only of the body, but of the mind. Let our creative visions come to fruition. Grant us passion, not only of the flesh, but of the heart. Let our spirits be enflamed with the passion of living. Grant us lust, not only of our loins, but the lust for success, in all our endeavours. Let us acheive all our desires." "Father Janus, Father Jupiter, and Faunus Lupercus, if anything was displeasing to You in the offered gift from me, receive Ye this rite of atonement. ... "

After a few more lines, Gaius stated, "The rite is now ended - The Luperci will now lead you from the cave for the Running of the Luperci. This year we race to the field adjacent to the Field of Mars for our post-ritual celebration! Maali and I will lead you, and the other Luperci will follow behind the crowd, snapping their whips to bless you. (And hurry you along, perhaps!)" Unlike ancient Rome however, most of the Second Life Romans donning the goatskin flogs were female. Whom was going to whip whom this time?

We then ran out of the cave, going down the path up the hill, and at the spot chosen to be the site of the dance, near a roasting pig and a jar of wine. This time, a number of residents dropped their outfits to go about in the buff. Yours truly took several pictures, but after the one shown (left) was when several more showed up sans toga. Someone stated, "In ROMA specifically, you can be topless any time, but full nudity is only allowed at events like this."

People talked about a contest for the most imaginative lines for graffiti to be places in spots on the sim, and taking Latin classes. There was also general talk, "I think it's a good thing to be naughty once in a awhile. As long as it doesn't hurt anyone else."And there was some joking around, "She's a mer(maid) ... We have to dump water over her head once an hour or something." "So if I told her to 'go soak your head,' that wouldn't be taken as an insult? (grin)" "(giggle) Not at all! She'd probably thank you for offering."

Other lines included, "I resent that remark. am never a slut. I am just.... naughty." "I bet they really, really regreted pressing the self-destruct button in Pompeii." "And we thought you were just here to dance nakie and have fun!" "(This) is the one time of year i throw caution (and clothes) to the wind!"

Eventually the party wound down. Many would show up at the Wolf Hunt at Noon.

Time for another Hunt - ROMA's own version of hide and seek+tag with prizes! For Lupercalia, we will have cunning wolves for you to chase - how many can you tag in 1 hour? The Hunt is confined to Transtiberim, but the wolves are clever and hard to find! Prizes will be awarded to the ones who have tagged the most wolves - 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place.

I didn't make it to the wolf hunt, though I did catch the end of the last event for the day, the "Venus Truth or Consequences" which began at 1 PM. Much like the "Truth or Dare" games I'd seen earlier. People were sitting on a few pillows, with some standing, with a "spin the bottle" in a space in the middle of the scene.

A woman playing the part of the Goddess Venus had an "enchanted rose" which asked the questions. Among them were, "Has anyone ever seen you completely naked in SL. If yes, who?" Someone commented, "It's Lupercalia, is that fair?" The person asked answered, "ermmm ... a couple years ago the whole of Roma saw me in my birthday suit (grin). Damn SL would not rez my clothes." "What is the funniest thing that ever happened to you while you were having sex?" "Oh, the bed broke one time!" That answer got a number of chuckles, one saying, "Note to self: never have sex in a homemade bed."

On Sunday, there would be three more events. At 10 AM was the "Lupercalia Name That Quote Trivia."

Do you love trivia? Do you love movies? Well this game is both! In this trivia game, you'll be challenged to identify movie quotes - the theme for this Lupercalia edition is Romantic Quotes. The contestants with the most points at the end of the game will win 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place cash prizes.

Several people were taking part in the contest, with a fierce competition for first place.  Steelhead resident Cray Juliesse and Melanippe of Themiscyra (melanippe.karas) ended up tied for first with a score of 18 quotes correctly guessed each.The tie-breaking quote was, "I have this dream of being whole. Of not going to sleep each night, wanting. But still sometimes, when the wind is warm or the crickets sing... I dream of a love that even time will lie down and be still for." And they needed to name the movie, the actor, and the character's name. Cray answered, "Practical Magic, Sandra Bullock, Sally." The Steelheader was declared the winner.

It would be about an hour until the next event, the Grand Feast, at Noon SL time.

To top off this festival weekend, we have The Grand Feast of Lupercalia! Join us for an evening of feasting, dancing, and good company, with live music by Taunter Goodnight - as well as our Lupercalia Costume Contest! Our costume theme this time around is Mythological Beasts. So come as a creature of myth or legend! We will vote for best male and female costume - the winners will receive $L1000!

Mark Allan Jensen (majjackslade) provided the music for the party, as people danced in the grass in the clearing beside the food table. Among the creatures present were a faun and naga, and a couple followers of Anubis.

The party didn't have much time to wind down when came the last event, the Harpastum game, a kind of Roman football.

Come join us as our Legio faces off in a game of Harpastum in honour of the Lupercalia! Harpastum, was the ancient Romans answer to soccer/football. For this game, you'll see the contestants display considerable speed, agility, and physical ability. All citizens are invited to participate in the game or watch from the sidelines!

The game area was set up in ROMA Vinovium. One team was led by Melanippe of Themiscyra. The other was led by Torin Golding. The game would be played much like Soccer/EuropeanFootball, except that the entire end of a field was a goal. If a ball fell into the depression behind the line, it scored a point for the opposing side. Five goals would win a game.

The first game went fairly easy for Torin's team, ending with a score of 5-1, Torin doing a victory animation with each. But Melanippe's team recovered, and won the second game. The third game was a hard fought match, with the score 4 to 4 at one point. But Torin's team got the last goal and the victory. The players on his team each got a prize.

And so ended Roma's Lupercalia Weekend of 2014, with lots of fun in the historical community.

Bixyl Shuftan