SUPERSTITION AND MAGIC
It is important to remember that magic and superstition were part of daily Roman life.
Because of this annual exorcism of the noxious spirits of the dead, the whole month of May was rendered unlucky for marriages, whence the proverb Mense Maio malae nubunt or”Bad girls wed in May”.
Temples were closed and marriages were prohibited during the three days of the Lemuralia. On the third day, a merchants’ festival was held to ensure a prosperous year for business.