The Romans considered the month of February a period of cleansing, during which they had to chase away the bad spirits of winter. Everything had to be taken out, dusted, cleaned and washed, to get rid of the influences of the cold and dark season. In this way the people prepared themselves to start a new year with a clean slate.
The Leeward islands of the Netherlands Antilles still have such a tradition, taking place at the end of December and called Saka Fuku - 'Throwing away Bad Luck'. But this is probably of African origin.
The Leeward islands of the Netherlands Antilles still have such a tradition, taking place at the end of December and called Saka Fuku - 'Throwing away Bad Luck'. But this is probably of African origin.
The new year we are talking about here, is not the calendar year as we know it now, but the Year of Nature, which stretches between the end of winter and the beginning of spring, the months of February and March.
The Romans celebrated the beginning of spring at the end of February, which they called Februarius.
The event lasted three days, exactly like our celebration of Carnival. On the second day there was abundant eating and drinking, and a procession was held. On the third day the Roman peasants prepared pots of beans and other offerings for the deceased.
