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Lemures and the Lemuria
In Roman mythology, Lemures were hungry spirits of the dead who sought their living relatives by night and could cause harm to the living. They walked the earth in early may and were believed to be the spirits of those who received untimely deaths. They were said to have glowing eyes. The bright eyes of monkey like creatures native to Madagascar are why they also have the name Lemurs.
On the VII, V, and III Ides May (May 9, 11 ,13) the ritual of the Lemuria was celebrated. The head of the house would get up at midnight and walk around the house with bare feet spitting out black beans and repeating the prayer, "With these beans I redeem me and mine" nine times. The ghosts were belived to take the beans and leave the people alone. The head of the household would then bang bronze pots together while repeating, "Ghosts of my Fathers and Ancestors, be gone!" nine times. At this time the ghosts would be gone and he could go back to bed.
