Hail to Tellus; hail to the earth!
Hail also to Tellumo, the masculine spirit of the earth!
Our world is now in bloom
And our northern hemisphere bursts forth with the promise of life.
We honour the terra mater in all her bounty, and,
Along with our appreciation,
We vow to be mindful of her vulnerability and
The need to protect and safeguard her.
May we be the gardeners of her sacred soil and
The husband carers of her precious livestock!
May we rejoice in all that telluric bounty provides!
Salve Tellus!
Salve Tellumo!
Salve Terra Mater!
Salve Dea!

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The Fordicidia are the festival of Tellus, the earth mother. Here she is more associated with dairy-life than with the cereals and vegetation of her counterpart Ceres, whose festival is, counting inclusively, five days later. These feriae fall as the mid-point of the April nefastus period that begins with the Nones and concludes with the conclusion of the 22nd. The fordae (or hordae) refer to the pregnant cows which were sacrificed in each curia and on the Capitoline as a festive offering to Tellus. The ashes of the unborn claves became part of the Vestal Virgins’ suffimen or fumigatory powder along with beanstalks and blood from the curtus equus or maimed horse. As a male spirit, Tellus is invoked as Tellumo. To honour the earth, the Romans would sit on the ground, place their hands on the earth and invoke the goddess.