We have heard about the Ides of March in books, movies… but what?what are the ides of march, when and why are they celebrated? Here we tell you its origin.
What are the Ides of March and when are they?
The Ides of March refer to the 15th day of the month Martius, which in the Julian calendar was the third month of the year that we know as March. The “ides” were the 15th of the month of March, May, July and October and the 13th of the rest of the months. These days were considered days of good luck.
Although in the Julian calendar the month dedicated to Mars (Martius) was the third, in the ancient Roman calendar it was the first month of the year, so it is believed that the first of the Ides New Year’s celebrations occurred. In older calendars, the first full moon of the new year occurred.
The ides of each month were made offerings to Jupiter who was the greatest god of the Romans. The Flamen Dialis (priest of Jupiter) was in charge of making the procession from the Via Sacra to the Arx with the sheep of the ides which they later sacrificed as an offering. In addition, on the Ides of March, the feast of Anna Perenna, known as the goddess of the year, was also celebrated. This party ended with the arrival of the new year. As is the case today on New Year’s Day, people also gathered on this day and had meals in the fields with different games and celebrations. Also associated with the ritual of the Mamuralias to new year’s day. It consisted of dressing a cornflower with animal skins, taking him out of the city and beating him. It seems that it was a ritual in which it was intended to leave the “old year” behind.
During the late Roman imperial period the Ides of March gave rise to a kind of “holy Week” in which the figures of Cibeles and Atis were celebrated. In such a way that the first day of the week of the Ides was celebrated canna intrat (the reed enters) referring to when Attis was born and was abandoned among the reeds of the Phrygia river where he was discovered by the goddess Cibeles or also known as the Magna Mater (great mother). A week later, on March 22, the celebration of the Ides ended with the feast of the arbor intrat (the tree enters) in which the death of Attis is honored under a tree. A group of priests was in charge of cutting down a tree, decorating it and putting an image of Attis on it. Later they took him between lamentations to the temple of the Magna Materthat is, of the goddess Cibeles.
Finally, March 15 was officially included as part of the Roman calendar in times of Claudius and they added three days of mourning that would end on March 25 with the rebirth of attisdate that coincides with the spring equinox in the Julian calendar.
Also read: The names of the Greek and Roman goddesses
Who died on the Ides of March
It is normally associated with the Ides of March with Julius Caesar’s death since it happened these days. The conspirators had been trying for several weeks to find a way to get rid of Julius Caesar (they even thought of throwing him off a bridge) but finally they decided to take advantage of the meeting that would take place of the senate in Pompey, during the Ides of March.
During that morning it is said that César woke up and had discomfort. He told his wife that he had a bad feeling and she asked him not to go to the senate but she sent Tenth Brutus to convince him to go to the senate and he did. Before entering, Artemidorus of Cnido, a philosopher and friend of Caesar, gave him a letter telling him what was going to happen, but Julius Caesar did not read it. He also ran into Espurina who years before had warned him that on the Ides of March of the year 44 a. C a misfortune would happen to him. When the emperor saw the haruspex he told him «The Ides of March have come» to make him see that his prophecy had not been fulfilled, to which Espurina replied «…but they’re not gone yet«.
Julius Caesar entered Pompey’s theater and the conspirators surrounded him as if to show him a sign of respect. Tulio Cimber approached the emperor as if he was going to ask something of him and Julius Caesar refused him. At this moment Cimber grabbed him by the shoulders so that Servilio Casca delivered the first stab to his neck.
In total, the emperor received 23 stab wounds but was able to cover his face with his toga before he died.
That is why the Ides of March are now remembered more for the death of Julius Caesar, especially for that warning that Espurina had given him and that predicted his death.
What does “Take care of yourself on the Ides of March” mean?
In 1599 the writer William Shakespeare made famous the phrase “Beware the Ides of March!” (Beware of the ides of March) through his work Julius Caesar in which he recounted the conspiracy and the death of the emperor.