The Roman festival of Larentalia was held on 23 December but was ordered to be observed twice a year by Augustus; by some supposed to be in honour of the Lares,[1][2] a kind of domestic genii, or divinities, worshipped in houses, and esteemed the guardians and protectors of families, supposed to reside in chimney-corners.[3] Others have attributed this feast in honour of Acca Larentia, the nurse of Romulus and Remus, and wife of Faustulus.[4][5][6] During this festival, offerings were made to the dead,[7][8] usually at altars dedicated to Acca Larentia.[9] A sacrifice was typically offered in the Velabrum,[10] the spot where Acca Larentia is buried.[11][12] Larentalia was part of a series of ancient Roman festivals and holidays celebrating the end of the old year and the start of the new.[13][14]
^Henderson, Helene, and Thompson, Sue Ellen, ed. “Larentalia.” Holidays, Festivals and Celebrations of the World Dictionary. Vol. 2. Detroit: Omnigraphics, 1997.