ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Feast of the Lemures

Feast of the Lemures is an ancient Roman festival that was held every year to honor spirit beings called lemures. These lemures were thought to be the spirits of dead ancestors who came back to visit and possibly harm their living relatives.

During the festival, people would sprinkle black beans around their houses and walk through the streets barefoot at midnight. They would make loud noises and bang pots and pans together to scare away any unfriendly spirits.

The feast lasted for three days and included special offerings of honey cakes and other treats to appease the lemures. It was believed that if the spirits were not properly honored, they could cause problems like illness or bad luck for the living.

Overall, the Feast of the Lemures was a way for the ancient Romans to show respect for their ancestors and protect themselves from any potential negative effects of the spirit world.