Festival of Neptune and Pietas

December1 and 2

Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself, but talentinstantly recognizes genius.
—Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

You do ill if you praise, but worse if you censure, whatyou do not rightly understand.
—Leonard Da Vinci

December 1 celebrated the festivals of Neptuneand Pietas. This festival was the quivalent to the one that was held on July 23at the temple dedicated to Neptune in theCircus Flaminus within the Campus Martius. There would have been games, asacrifice and more than likely some sort of horse and chariot race.

Pieta, a Roman Goddess who was the personification ofrespectful duty, is often portrayed in human form and sometimes accompanied bya stork, the symbol of deferential duty. She was frequently represented oncoins, which were considered to be a symbol of the reigning emperor’s virtues.Her temple was in the Circus Flaminius and later at the Forum Holitorium, whereher December 1 festival was held.

It was on the 1st of December in 1750 that seven men(fora wager) buttoned themselves into the waistcoat of Mr. Edward Bright of Maldon,Essex, who had expired at the age of 29 and was considered to be the fattestman that ever lived in Britian.

On December 2nd, Tibetan Buddhists make their annualpilgrimage to the world’s oldest tree in what it known as Bodh Gaya. The treewas planted in 282 B.C. And is believed to be an offshoot of the Bodhi tree—thetree that the Buddha sat under when he attained enlightenment.