Lucilla
and her husband Titus donned their finest garments for the festival day
ahead. It was February 15th,
the day of the Lupercalia and one of the biggest holidays of the year. Lucilla carefully chooses her most expensive
jewelry, slipping on her shining rings and adjusting her gold arm band. She dons her most elegant, sleeveless stola
that flows to the ground and wraps a matching maroon palla around her
shoulders. Titus wears a fine, emerald
toga candida that alludes to his upper-class status. Once they are dressed, they give thanks to
the Gods before they eat their first meal of the day. As it is an important festival day, both
cannot wait to feast in the elaborate banquet Caesar planned with his own
funds.
As Lucilla and Titus make their way
down Palatine Hill to watch the race of the Luperci, Titus’ slave and secretary
Quintus is grateful to have a day with light work and time to rest. Even the family’s farm animals are allowed to
rest during the Lupercalia. As he
attends to his simple errands for the day, Quintus slouches in his plain, grey
tunic and shuffles his feet in his coarse leather perones, noticing how his
body has weakened after a lifetime of hard labor. He tries to dwell on this and instead tries
to enjoy the rare free time that the festival day gives him.
After the race, Lucilla is
disappointed that she was not brushed with the goat hide by one of the Luperci,
as she was hoping to be blessed with fertility.
She has been trying to have a child for too long now and has never had a
successful birth. Lucilla tries to
distract herself from this distressing thought by focusing on the bustle of the
procession before the sacrifice would take place. Despite the joyous music and dancing all
around her, still Lucilla cannot help but silently pray to the Gods for a
healthy son one day.
