October Equus

October Equus is the name of a religious holiday celebrated in the ancient Rome as a l honnor of Mars, god of the war. The name of this festival means in French horse d´octobre and evokes the victim sacrificed to this occasion.

Origin

The origin of this bank holiday goes back to the beginning of the history of the city where the inhabitants were divided into two groups, the Montani , alive on the hills and the Pagani , in the plain. Traditionally, a competition opposed to the two populations on respective quality their horses. The October Equus was created to test the relative quality of these horses.

Unfolding

A Course of tanks to two horses takes place on the Champ de Mars. The horse of right-hand side of the victorious attachment is killed out of a blow of Javelot, close to the furnace bridge of Mars. Then the head is cut to him, that two teams (inhabitants of the district of the Via Sacra and those of the district of Subure ) dispute.

Those of Via Crowned, must suspend it on the wall of the Domus Regia (temple located on the Forum, whose name means the “royal house”) and those of the district of Subure must hang it to the enclosure of the monument called the Tour Mamilia . One also slices the tail of the horse, that a runner carries inside the Domus Regia , in the sanctuary devoted to Mars, as soon as possible, so that blood runs on the hearth.

This ceremony is not celebrated any more at the first century before J. - C.

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