Roman feasts

Feasts in ancient Rome were an important part of Roman religious life, both in republican and imperial times, and the Roman calendar. Feriae (or dies ferialis – “holy days”) were either public (publicae) or private (privatae). State festivals and celebrations were financed from the public treasury and were celebrated by all Romans. Games (ludi), such as Ludi Apollinares, were not actually feriae, but rather dies festi, i.e. days non-working (today’s holiday).

When feriae was financed from a public purse, ludi were often sponsored by individual rich people. Feriae privatae were feasts celebrated in honour of individuals or families. This article refers to public feasts, including the ordinances of priests in temples, as well as major festivities celebrated by neighbourhoods and families.

There are three types of feriae:

Stativae were feasts that had a fixed date on the calendar.

• Conceptivae were annual feasts that were often moved. The date of the holiday was announced by the masters or priests who were responsible for their organization.
• Imperativae were feasts announced on demand.

One of the most important and best ancient sources dedicated to the Roman feasts is “Fasti” Ovid, which is an endless poem describing the festivals from January to June in the time of Octavian Augustus.

During the reign of later emperors, the number of feasts even reached 200 days. Certain feasts were celebrated by arranging games, races and theatre performances. Below is a calendar of some of the most important feasts with information on what occasion they were celebrated and the Latin name of the holiday.

Roman feasts celebrated

January February March

April May June

July August September

October November December

January

early January

• Compitalia – in the countryside, every farmer built a small chapel with an altar on the border of their fields. He assembled a plough and wooden dolls there, one for each person at home. The next day the holiday was celebrated. A cleansing offering was made for the coming year. In the city, the chairman of every insulae sacrificed a hen on the altar raised at each intersection. Then followed three days of Christmas.

January 1

• January calendars – new consuls were sworn in. Bulls were sacrificed to Jupiter as a thank you for looking after last year. The consuls promised that their successors would repeat the same thing next year; Feast of Veiovisa (also on May 21); the feast of Aesculapius.

January 5

• Rex Sacrorum announced public feasts in January.

January 9

• Agonalia – a festival celebrated four times. That day, the god of all origins was worshipped. Other days are: March 17 – in honour of the god of war Mars; May 21 – in honour of the god of the underworld and the death of Veiovisa (feast of Veiovisa); December 11 – in honour of the sun god Sola Indigesa. On the day of the celebration of Rex Sacrorum, he sacrificed a ram in Regia, asking God for favour and protection against evil and death. The name of the holiday comes from the question, which before the sacrifice was asked by the priest: “Agone?”, Meaning “should I kill?”

January 11

• Juturna feast

January 11-15

• Carmentalia

January 16

• Concordiae

January 27

• Anniversary of the construction of the first Temple of Castor and Pollux at the Roman Forum, which was a vote of thanks for victory over the Latinos at Lake Regillus. When the scales of victory on the side of the enemy appeared two young men on white steeds, who rushed to the opponent, and after a while the Romans started to counterattack, and the young men disappeared. They appeared at Juturna’s sources capturing horses and proclaiming victory while the battle was still going on.

January 30