Definition: Bona Dea means 'good goddess'. Bona Dea is not the name of a specific goddess, although Fauna is sometimes associated with the title 'Bona Dea'. The Bona Dea was an ancient festival held at the start of May, on the kalends. The Bona Dea also had movable feast in December. During the May Bona Dea celebration a pregnant sow was sacrificed to Mother Earth and Ceres. The celebration was for women only, patrician, free, and slave. This means not even male animals were allowed. Nor were myrtle branches. Women consumed wine at the festival, but since wine was officially taboo for women, it was called "milk." The worship of the Bona Dea was part of a mystery religion. See Roman Persecutions and Margaret Imber's Bona Dea page for more basic information. The festival of the Bona Dea that caused the greatest stir was the one in 62 B.C.
Clodius attended the women-only December feast of the Bona Dea which was held at the home of Caesar and hosted by his wife Pompeia, thought to have been having an affair with Clodius. A roughly 30-year-old Clodius showed up dressed in women's garb, although presumably not the diaphanous flute-girl garb, looking so much like a woman that he passed -- until he opened his mouth. By attending the Bona Dea festival, Clodius violated the rites of the Vestal Virgins, which was a sacrilege that landed Clodius in court facing prosecution by Cicero. Although Clodius was acquitted and Caesar did not actually accuse his wife of adultery, Caesar divorced Pompeia because, he said, his wife must be above suspicion.Plutarch describes this is in his Life of Caesar 9ff.
