Author/Authors :
coşkun abuagla, asuman akdeniz üniversitesi - eskiçağ dilleri ve kültürleri bölümü, latin dili ve edebiyatı, Antalya, turkey
Abstract :
The difference of the ancient Romans can be understood from the content of the interesting and innumerable festivals celebrated by those who believed in magic, witchcraft, superstitions and predictions throughout history. The ancient Romans firmly depend upon the gods, which they believed in and they thought that every bad thing that befell them was because of the wrath of the gods and that such wrath would bring to all society, calamity, disaster, and misfortune. For this reason they organised extraordinary celebrations and rituals so that they might propitiate the gods. Their strong belief created a deep fear that the life of every individual was under the control of the immortal gods and if they were not propitiated, they would cause many bad things, which drew forth innumerable superstitions in the minds of Roman society. This dependence on superstitions was felt not only towards the gods, but also towards the dead and Roman society believed that if the dead were not propitiated, they would have come from the underworld and harmed living people. As a result they arranged propitiatory rituals according to the Roman calendar. This article provides information concerning two extraordinary days named Feralia and Lemuria, designated by the ancient Romans to propitiate the dead, which helped to generate stories concerning: ghosts, zombies, witches, of colourful carnivals and Halloween Night, and indicates that despite the passage of time, tradition will never be erased from the mind of any society.
NaturalLanguageKeyword :
Superstition , Ritual , Ghost , Witchcraft , Bean
