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My
father has been chosen to be a priest for a year in the temple dedicated
to the Emperor. It is a great honour for him, but an expensive one,
as he must use his own money for the temple ceremonies.
There are other temples in Noviomagus (Chichester). The temple to the
gods Minerva and Neptune was paid for by the guild of metalworkers.
There are also statues of gods in the city. My favourite is Fortuna,
who brings good luck. My mother makes offerings to Juno, who protects
women.
We only visit the temples on special feast days. On March 1st (the feast
of Matronalia) and April 1st (the feast of Venus), we give each other
presents. On the feast days there is music and incense burning, and
priests perform sacred ceremonies and make sacrifices to the gods.
People make offerings of coins and food which they can buy at the stalls
by the temple. Sometimes people scratch messages to the gods on small
sheets of lead - curses, or prayers for good health.
In the country people still celebrate the old Celtic feast days with
animal sacrifices, fighting and feasting.
At home we have a small room with an altar dedicated to our household
god (lar). Everyday my mother looks after the shrine and decorates it
with flowers and fresh food, and we pray there daily.
When someone dies, there is a funeral, followed by a feast. Bodies are
buried outside the city walls, and often people are buried with jewellery,
oil lamps, food and money. Every year we visit the graves of our family
for a feast, to remember them. We also have small statues of them in
our shrine at home.
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