FERIAE, in Roman antiquity, holidays, or days upon which they abstained from work.
The Romans had two kinds of feriæ: 1. the public, common to all the people in general; 2. The private, which were only kept by some private families.
The public feriæ were fourfold: 1. Stativæ feriæ, holidays which always fell out upon the same day of the month, and were marked in the calendar; of these the chief were the agonalia, caementalia, and lupercalia. 2. Comparativæ feriæ, holidays appointed every year upon certain or uncertain days by the magistrates or the pontiff; such were the latinæ, paganalia, compitalia, &c. 3. Imperativæ feriæ, holidays commanded or appointed by the authority of the consuls or praetors; of this kind we may reckon the lustrum, &c. 4. Nundinæ, the days for fairs. See NUNDINÆ, &c.