Dance of the Salii. On this day in ancient Rome, the gods Mars and Saturn were invoked each year by dancing priests brandishing spears and clashing holy shields. The evil spirits of Winter were thus expelled from the city, and the growth of crops and gardens was stimulated through sympathetic magick.
In the Polish countryside, an old Pagan festival of Spring call the Marzenna is celebrated on this day with singing, dancing, and the "sacrifices" of straw effigies