The Parentalia was a solemn Roman festival observed from February 13-21, dedicated to honoring the spirits of deceased family members. Romans visited ancestral tombs, left offerings of food, wine, and flowers, and performed private rituals to appease the dead. Public business ceased, temples closed, and marriages were forbidden during this period of mourning. The festival concluded with the Feralia. In poetry, Parentalia evokes themes of memory, filial piety, mortality, and the continuity between living and dead, appearing frequently in elegiac verse and works exploring ancestral duty and the afterlife.

Parentalia's nine February days honored deceased ancestors through grave visits, offerings, and family rituals. The festival's length and intensity demonstrate Roman ancestor worship's importance and the obligations owed to deceased family members. Understanding Parentalia helps illuminate Roman religious practices connecting living and dead family members through ritual obligations. The festival's domestic character emphasizes family pietas and the maintenance of ancestor relationships essential to Roman social and religious life.