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The feat of the archangel Michael, a church festival, celebrated on the 29th of September. Hence, colloquially, autumn. Michaelmas daisy. (Bot.) See under Daisy.

A festival of the Shiah sect of the Mohammedans held during the first ten days of the month Mohurrum.

Changing from one time to another; as, movable feasts, i. e., church festivals, the date of which varies from year to year. Movable letter (Heb. Gram.), a letter that is pronounced, as opposed to one that is quiescent.

A fast of eight days before a great festival. Shipley.

The eighth day after a church festival, the festival day being included; also, the week following a church festival. "The octaves of Easter." Jer. Taylor.

ll plain in Elis. Olympic games, or Olympics (Greek Antiq.), the greatest of the national festivals of the ancient Greeks, consisting of athletic games and races, dedicated to Olympian Zeus, celebrated once in four years at Olympia, and continuing five days.

The Easter festival. [Local, U. S.] Bartlett.

acular guality; splendor. Such pageantry be to the people shown. Dryden. The pageantry of festival. J. A. Symonds.

The most ancient and important festival of Athens, celebrated in honor of Athena, the tutelary goddess of the city.

A festival; a public assembly. [Obs.] S. Harris.

Law, from which at least one section is read in the Jewish synagogue on every Sabbath and festival.

A solemn festival of the Jews; -- so called because celebrated on the fiftieth day (seven weeks) after the second day of the Passover (which fell on the sixteenth of the Jewish month Nisan); -- hence called, also, the Feast of Weeks. At this festival an offering of the first fruits of the harvest was made. By the Jews…

A Jewish festival, called also the Feast of Lots, instituted to commemorate the deliverance of the Jews from the machinations of Haman. Esther ix. 26.

o delivered oracles at Delphi. Pythian games (Gr. Antiq.), one of the four great national festivals of ancient Greece, celebrated near Delphi, in honor of Apollo, the conqueror of the dragon Python, at first once in eight years, afterward once in four.

A festival procession. [Obs.] When there any riding was in Cheap. Chaucer.

A carousal; a festival; a drinking frolic. Fill the cup, and fill the can, Have a rouse before the morn. Tennyson.

A kind of rural festival at the dedication of a church, when the parishioners brought rushes to strew the church. [Eng.] Nares.

The seventh year, observed among the Israelites as one of rest and festival. Lev. xxv. 4.

A festival of singers; a German singing festival.

r for some distinguished or official personage, for a foreign vessel or flag, or for some festival or event, as by presenting arms, by a discharge of cannon, volleys of small arms, dipping the colors or the topsails, etc.