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27-590: It was a type of feriae conceptivae [or conceptae ]. These free days were held every year, but not on certain or fixed days, the time being every year appointed by the magistrates or priests ( quotannis a magistratibus vel sacerdotibus concipiuntur ). It was held in honor of Ceres (the goddess of agriculture) and Tellus (Mother Earth). The initial half of the event was a festival in honor of Tellus which ran from January 24 through January 26. The festival honoring Ceres occurred one week later, starting February 2. The Sementina dies were kept in seed-time at Rome for

54-531: A Roman holiday." More benignly, the phrase was used as the title of a romantic movie set in Rome, Roman Holiday . Kalends The calends or kalends ( Latin : kalendae ) is the first day of every month in the Roman calendar . The English word " calendar " is derived from this word. The Romans called the first day of every month the calends , signifying the start of a new lunar phase . On this day,

81-485: A break from their labours. Agricultural writers recognized that some jobs on a farm might still need to be performed, and specified what these were. Some agricultural tasks not otherwise permitted could be carried out if an expiation were made in advance ( piaculum ) , usually the sacrifice of a puppy. Within the city of Rome, the flamens and the priest known as the Rex sacrorum were not allowed even to see work done. On

108-423: A practical level, those who "inadvertently" worked could pay a fine or offer up a piaculum , usually a pig. Work considered vital either to the gods or preserving human life was excusable, according to some experts on religious law. Although Romans were required not to work, they were not required to take any religious action unless they were priests or had family rites ( sacra gentilicia ) to maintain. Following

135-637: A very important part in Roman religious life during both the Republican and Imperial eras , and one of the primary feat of "holy days"; singular also feriae or dies ferialis ) were either public (publicae) or private ( privatae ) . State holidays were celebrated by the Roman people and received public funding. Games ( ludi ) , such as the Ludi Apollinares , were not technically feriae , but

162-459: Is a month-by-month list of Roman festivals and games that had a fixed place on the calendar. For some, the date on which they were first established is recorded. A deity's festival often marked the anniversary ( dies natalis , "birthday") of the founding of a temple, or a rededication after a major renovation. Festivals not named for deities are thought to be among the oldest on the calendar. Some religious observances were monthly. The first day of

189-461: The Saturnalia may have been a mercatus in this sense. Surviving fasti record Mercatus Apollinares , July 14–19; Mercatus Romani , September 20–23; and Mercatus Plebeii , November 18–20. Others may have existed. The English word "fair" derives from Latin feria . By the outset of the nineteenth century and particularly in response to the carnage of the latter years of

216-473: The pontiffs would announce the number of days until the next month at the Curia Calabra ; in addition, debtors had to pay off their debts on this day. These debts were inscribed in the kalendaria , effectively an accounting book. Modern calendars count the number of days after the first of each month; by contrast, the Roman calendar counted the number of days until certain upcoming dates (such as

243-511: The 5th or 7th of that month. On the Nones, announcements were made regarding events to take place that month; with the exception of the Poplifugia , no major festivals were held before the Nones, though other ceremonies, such as anniversaries of temple dedications, might be carried out. The Ides (usually the 13th, or in a few months the 15th) were sacred to Jupiter . On each Ides, a white lamb

270-586: The Alban populace to Rome, it was reported to have rained stones on the Mons Albanus . A Roman deputation was sent to investigate the report, and a further shower of stones was witnessed. The Romans took this to be a sign of the displeasure of the Alban gods, the worship of whom had been abandoned with the evacuation of Alba Longa. Livy goes on to say that the Romans instituted a public festival of nine days, at

297-453: The French revolution, the term "Roman holiday" had taken on sinister aspects, implying an event that occasions enjoyment or profit at the expense, or derived from the suffering, of others, as in this passage about a dying gladiator from Lord Byron's Childe Harold's Pilgrimage : There were his young barbarians all at play, There was their Dacian mother—he their sire, Butchered to make

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324-454: The calends of May (ante diem decimum Kalendas Maius), because eight days are left in April and both end dates are included in the total. The following lines of poetry aid calculations relating to the day of the month from the calends: Principium mensis cujusque vocato kalendas: Sex Maius nonas, October, Julius, et Mars; Quattuor at reliqui: dabit idus quidlibet octo. This means that

351-402: The calends, the nones or the ides ). The day before the calends was called pridie kalendas , but the day before that was counted as the "third day", as Romans used inclusive counting . To calculate the day of the calends of the upcoming month, counting the number of days remaining in the current month is necessary, then adding two to that number. For example, April 22 is the 10th day before

378-558: The days on which they were celebrated were dies festi , holidays in the modern sense of days off work. Although feriae were paid for by the state, ludi were often funded by wealthy individuals. Feriae privatae were holidays celebrated in honor of private individuals or by families. This article deals only with public holidays, including rites celebrated by the state priests of Rome at temples, as well as celebrations by neighborhoods, families, and friends held simultaneously throughout Rome. Feriae publicae were of three kinds: One of

405-583: The few months to be named for a god, Mars , whose festivals dominate the month. A major feriae conceptivae in April was the Latin Festival . The feriae conceptivae of this month was the Ambarvalia . Scullard places the Taurian Games on June 25–26, but other scholars doubt these ludi had a fixed date or recurred on a regular basis. Until renamed for Julius Caesar , this month

432-466: The first day is called the calends ; six days after the calends is the nones of May, October, July and March, while the nones comes only four days later for the other months; the ides comes eight days after the nones. The calends was a feature of the Roman calendar , but it was not included in the Greek calendar . Consequently, to postpone something ad Kalendas Graecas ("until the Greek calends ")

459-535: The instigation either of a 'heavenly voice' heard on the Mons Albanus, or of the haruspices . Livy also says that it became the longstanding practice in Rome that whenever a shower of stones was reported, a festival of nine days would be ordered in response. Another irregular festival of note is the Secular Games . Over the course of several days there were sacrifices, entertainers, and games hosted by

486-666: The month was the Kalends (or Calends, from which the English word "calendar" derives). Each Kalends was sacred to Juno , and the Regina sacrorum ("Queen of the Rites," a public priestess) marked the day by presiding over a sacrifice to the goddess. Originally a pontiff and the Rex sacrorum reported the sighting of the new moon , and the pontiff announced whether the Nones occurred on

513-521: The most important sources for Roman holidays is Ovid 's Fasti , an incomplete poem that describes and provides origins for festivals from January to June at the time of Augustus . Varro defined feriae as "days instituted for the sake of the gods." Religious rites were performed on the feriae , and public business was suspended. Even slaves were supposed to be given some form of rest. Cicero says specifically that people who were free should not engage in lawsuits and quarrels, and slaves should get

540-477: The purpose of praying for a good crop; it lasted only for one day, which was fixed by the pontiffs. At the same time the Paganalia were observed in the country. This Ancient Rome –related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about a religious festival is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Feriae conceptivae Festivals in ancient Rome were

567-434: The semi-legendary second king of Rome , established mercatus in conjunction with religious festivals to facilitate trade, since people had already gathered in great numbers. In early times, these mercatus may have played a role in wholesale trade, but as commerce in Rome became more sophisticated, by the late Republic they seem to have become retail fairs specialized for the holiday market. The Sigillaria attached to

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594-630: The state, attempting to be the greatest display anyone living had ever seen. These games were intended to be held every 100 years with the purpose of it occurring only once in any individuals lifetime. At one point two cycles of the Secular Games were being held simultaneously, leading there to be people who would in fact witness it twice in their life. The noun mercatus (plural mercatūs ) means "commerce" or "the market" generally, but it also refers to fairs or markets held immediately after certain ludi . Cicero said that Numa Pompilius ,

621-511: Was a colloquial expression for postponing something forever. This phrase survived for many centuries in Greek ( Greek : εἰς τὰς ἑλληνικάς καλένδας ) and in the Romance languages ( Spanish : hasta las calendas griegas ; Italian : alle calende greche ; French : aux calendes grecques ; Romanian : la calendele grecești ; Portuguese : às calendas gregas  ; etc.). The Latin term

648-517: Was called Quinctilis or Quintilis , originally the fifth month (quint-) when the year began in March. From this point in the calendar forward, the months had numerical designations. Until renamed for Augustus Caesar , this month was called Sextilis, originally the sixth month (sext-) when the year began in March. The following "moveable feasts" are listed roughly in chronological order. The Rosalia or "Festival of Roses" also had no fixed date, but

675-581: Was led along the Via Sacra to the Capitolium for sacrifice to Jupiter. The list also includes other notable public religious events such as sacrifices and processions that were observed annually but are neither feriae nor dies natales. Unless otherwise noted, the calendar is that of H.H. Scullard , Festivals and Ceremonies of the Roman Republic . In the archaic Roman calendar, February

702-404: Was technically not one of the feriae conceptivae with a date announced by public priests based on archaic practice. Festivals were also held in ancient Rome in response to particular events, or for a particular purpose such as to propitiate or show gratitude toward the gods. For example, Livy reports that following the Roman destruction of Alba Longa in the 7th century BC, and the removal of

729-399: Was the last month of the year. The name derives from februa , "the means of purification, expiatory offerings." It marked a turn of season, with February 5 the official first day of spring bringing the renewal of agricultural activities after winter. In the old Roman calendar (until perhaps as late as 153 BC), the mensis Martius ("Mars' Month") was the first month of the year. It is one of

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