Liber, also known as Liber Pater, was a name that Roman poets often used to allude to the Greek Dionysus, or Bacchus. However, Liber and the goddess Libera were ancient Italian divinities who were associated with the fertility of fields and the cultivation of the vine, though not necessarily with wine. They were worshipped in early times in connection with Ceres, so Libera was identified by the Romans with Persephone. She shared the festival on March 17 with Liber. It was celebrated with sacrifices, crude songs, and masks (oscilla) hung on trees.

This was also the day when a boy of age (14-16 years) assumed the toga virilis, the cloak of manhood; put away the bulla, the good luck charm worn around the neck; and enrolled his name as a citizen at the Tabularium. Further ceremonies in the Forum included being formally presented in public as a speaker in the law courts. The day concluded with a banquet in the evening for family and friends.

Toga Virilis

Higgledy-Piggledy
Toga praetexta, a
Garment of boyhood with
Thin, purple stripe,
Lost all its color in
Post-Liberalian
Version that signified
"Grapes are now ripe."

[ return to index menu ]