in Roman antiquity, holidays, or days upon which they abstained from work.

The Romans had two kinds of feriae: 1. The public, common to all the people in general; 2. The private, which were only kept by some private families.

The public feriae were fourfold: 1. Statiae feriae, 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, carmentalia, and hyperborea. 2. Comparsitiae feriae, holidays appointed every year upon certain or uncertain days by the magistrates or the pontiff; such were the latiae, pagenalia, compitalia, &c. 3. Imperialiae feriae, holidays commanded or appointed by the authority of the consuls or praetors; of this kind we may reckon the lectisternium. 4. Nundinae, the days for fairs. See NUNDINAE, &c.

Feria Latinae, were instituted by Tarquinius Superbus; who, having overcome the Faliscans, made a league with the Latins, and proposed to them to build a temple in common to Jupiter Latialis, in which both nations might meet, and offer sacrifice for their common safety. At this festival a white bull was sacrificed; and each town, both of the Latins and Romans, provided a certain quantity of meat, wine, and fruits. At first the solemnity continued but one day; after the expulsion of the kings, the senate added a third, a fourth, and so on to ten days.

in the Romish breviary, is applied to the several days of the week; thus Monday is the feria secunda, Fermanagh, Tuesday the feria tercia; though these days are not working days, but holidays. The occasion of this was, that the first Christians were used to keep the Easter-week holy, calling Sunday the prima feria, &c. whence the term feria was given to the days of every week. But besides these, they have extraordinary feriae, viz. the three last days of Passion-week, the two following Easter-day, and the second feria of rogation.