Lararium essentials

[Aulus Iulius Caesar]

Salvete fellow followers of the gods. For those of you who currently have a lararium, what do you consider essential and what do you consider additions? Currently my lararium is very plain as I don't have a lot of spending money but it gets the job done. I am lacking a few key pieces that I hope to acquire soon. I currently have 2 glass jars, one for wine and one for milk or water. I have two oil lamps and a central candle. I still need at least one bowl and an incense burner. What else do you feel I should add to it? I have a gladius on my lararium to show my dedication to Mars, but I also want to get statues as well. Starting with one of Iuppiter and then one of Mars. What else should I do? It's a large lararium so I have plenty of space.

[Gaius Florius Aetius]

It has been my understanding that Lararia are to the Ancestors, and that an Altar for a God or several Gods should be seperated from the Lararium. I have a mixed Altar for Apollo, Hermes and Dionysos, and then the Lararium extra. However I put a small statue of Iuno next to my Lararium, so I am not too strict. But praying to the Gods and the Ancestors is in classic idea more a seperate thing.

Since I had no money for Lares statues, I painted some and put the image in the Lararium, also with small photos of my grandparents and my dad. But my Lararium has a door to open and close it, so I can close it outside the sacred days, and usually open it at each Kalend and Ides. You may not wish to have photos always in the open.