FERIE, in Roman Antiquity, holidays, or days upon which the people abstained from work. Proclamation was generally made by the herald, by command of the Rex Sacrorum or Flamines, that all should abstain from business; and whoever transgressed the order was severely fined.
The ferie were of two kinds, public and private. The public ferie were fourfold; first, Stativæ, which were kept as public feasts by the whole city upon certain immovable days appointed by their calendar, as the Compitalia, Carmentalia, and Lupercalia; secondly, Feriae Conceptivæ, which were moveable feasts, the days for the celebration of which were fixed by the magistrates or priests, as the Feriae Latinae, Paganalia, Compitalia, and others, which happened every year, though the days for observing them were left to the discretion of the magistrates or priests; thirdly, Feriae Imperative, which were instituted by the mere command of consuls, pretors, or dictators, upon the gaining of some victory or other fortunate event; and, fourthly, Nundinæ. The private ferie were holidays observed by particular persons or families, on several accounts, as birthdays, funerals,
and the like. The feria belonged to the dies festi, and formed one division of them.