Compitalia

The Compitalia (Latin: Ludi Compitalicii; from compitum 'cross-way'[1]) was an annual festival in ancient Roman religion held in honor of the Lares Compitales, household deities of the crossroads, to whom sacrifices were offered at the places where two or more ways met.

[clarification needed] It is said by some writers to have been instituted by Tarquinius Priscus in consequence of the miracle attending the birth of Servius Tullius, who was supposed to be the son of a Lar Familiaris, or family guardian deity.

But Brutus, after overthrowing the line of Tarquin kings, instead satisfied the oracle by exploiting a verbal loophole, substituting "heads" of garlic and poppies.

Augustus set up altars to neighbourhood Lares or penates at places where two or more ways met[11] and instituted an order of priests to attend to their worship.

[15] The exact words with which the festival was announced are preserved by Macrobius[16] and Aulus Gellius:[17] Die noni popolo romano quiritibus compitalia erunt.Suetonius writes that Augustus ordered the Lares Compitales crowned twice yearly with spring and summer flowers ("Compitales Lares ornari bis anno instituit vernis floribus et aestivis").