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Festivals in ancient Rome were an important part of Roman religious life during both the Republican and Imperial eras, and one of the primary features of the Roman calendar. ''Feriae'' ("holidays" in the sense 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 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.〔H.H. Scullard, ''Festivals and Ceremonies of the Roman Republic'' (Cornell University Press, 1981), pp. 38–39.〕 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'' were of four kinds: * ''Stativae'' were annual holidays that held a fixed or stable date on the calendar. * ''Conceptivae'' were annual holidays that were moveable feasts (like Easter on the Christian calendar, or Thanksgiving in North America); the date was announced by the magistrates or priests who were responsible for them. * ''Imperativae'' were holidays held "on demand" (from the verb ''impero, imperare'', "to order, command") when special celebrations or expiations were called for.〔Scullard, ''Festivals and Ceremonies of the Roman Republic,'' p. 39.〕 One of 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. ==Keeping the ''feriae''== Varro defined ''feriae'' as "days instituted for the sake of the gods."〔Varro, ''De lingua latina'' 6.12 ''(dies deorum causa instituti'', as cited by Scullard, p. 39, noting also the phrase ''dis dedicati'', "dedicated to the gods," in Macrobius, ''Saturnalia'' 1.16.2.〕 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 a break from their labors.〔Cicero, ''De legibus'' 2.29, as cited by Scullard, p. 39.〕 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.〔Cato the Elder, ''De agricultura'' 138; Columella 2.21.2; Scullard, ''Festivals and Ceremonies of the Roman Republic,'' p. 39.〕 Within the city of Rome, the flamens and the priest known as the ''Rex sacrorum'' were not allowed even to see work done. On 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.〔Scullard, ''Festivals and Ceremonies of the Roman Republic,'' pp. 39–40.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Roman festivals」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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