Every day Religion
For ordinary romans religion was an import part of daily life, each home had a household shrine at which prayers and offerings to the particular families domestic deities were made. The Romans had personal household gods or spirits called 'lares' which were ancient family spirits and they were worshipped everyday at home. They also worshipped Janus, the two headed god of doorways, he was considered as the chief guardian of the home and they worshipped Vesta, the goddess of the hearth. The shrine contained statues of the 'lares' and the head of the family led the family in their prayers. The service was considered so important that family slaves were invited as well, and it is believed that most Romans were as keen to support their 'lares' as they were to support public gods like Jupiter. In a city it was common for there to be many springs, and shrines dotted around. Women, slaves and children all participated in a range of of religious activities each day. Some public rituals could only be performed by women, and women formed what is perhaps Rome's most famous priesthood, the state-supported Vestals, who tended Rome's sacred hearth for centuries until they were disbanded under Christian domination. Another thing that women did was tend to the hearth, it was considered aladies job to tend to the hearth and keep it going, each night the fire would be stocked up and in the morning it would be re-light with what embers were left. The only time a hearth was to go out was if a family moved away in which it would be put out with a little white wine and a small ceremony.