Vestalia is a weeklong festival dedicated to the Goddess Vesta within the Roman pantheon. She and the goddess Juno served as protectors of virginity and ensured the purity of marriage.
Unlike many deities depicted through statues, Vesta is symbolized by a flame from the hearth. In some localities, eternal flames were tended to in her honor.
The Tradition
Vestalia is observed from June 7 to June 15, just preceding Litha, the summer solstice. This occasion brought a respite to the typical routines of Romans as they cleansed and paid homage to her shrine. The festivities include processions and various rites.
The shrine dedicated to Vesta is a circular structure, welcoming ONLY women who come to make offerings, highlighting Vesta’s primary role as the protector of women. Those entering the temple were required to remove their shoes, a custom rooted in the area’s past as a marshy landscape.
Within the temple, a sacred flame representing Vesta is vigilantly kept by the Vestales. The Vestal virgins, tasked with safeguarding this flame, took a vow of chastity for 30 years. The esteemed position of a Vestal virgin was typically reserved for noblewomen.
On the 9th of June, Vestal virgins would prepare mola salsa, a cake made with sacred salt and holy spring water, to present to Vesta. Bakers would refrain from work that day to honor the time when bread was prepared in the sacred ashes of the hearth—symbolizing respect for both the hearth and its divine mistress.
Following the weeklong festivities, the Vestales would symbolically sweep out the temple, collecting debris to toss into the Tiber River, allowing it to flow out to sea. This act served both practical and spiritual purposes, signifying purification.
Ritual
You can commemorate Vestalia by performing a personal cleansing ritual. Purchase a new broom, and with the addition of sea salt and sage, cleanse and dedicate it. Use this broom to eliminate cobwebs, literally and figuratively. Cleanse your entire space or focus on a single room. Dispose of the old broom by burning it.
Try this cleansing spell:
“Salt and Sage, cleanse this broom, empower it for my use, and my use alone.
Goddess Vesta, protect my home and hearth, and let your flame glow
In every room.”
You may also embrace the tradition of baking a cake as an offering. Create your altar by positioning a white pillar candle at the center, then add your gifts for the goddess Vesta.
What are your thoughts on Vestalia or the Goddess Vesta?
Are you participating in Vestalia?
I’d love to hear your thoughts! Please share in the comments below! 🙂
