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the festival of Saturn, celebrated in December, originally during one day, but afterward during seven days, as a period of unrestrained license and merriment for all classes, extending even to the slaves.

A hymn introduced in the Mass on certain festival days, and recited or sung immediately before the gospel, and after the gradual or introit, whence the name. Bp. Fitzpatrick. Originally the sequence was called a Prose, because its early form was rhythmical prose. Shipley.

Pertaining to a festival; festive; festal. [Obs.] "On this solemn day." Chaucer.

e regarding the enemy. -- Spy Wednesday (Eccl.), the Wednesday immediately preceding the festival of Easter; -- so called in allusion to the betrayal of Christ by Judas Iscariot.

Bought at the festival of St. Audrey. [Obs.] And gird in your waist, For more fineness, with a tawdry lace. Spenser.

A festival celebrated annually by the Romans on February 23 in honor of Terminus, the god of boundaries.

r sometimes four tragedies), represented consequently on the Attic stage at the Dionysiac festival.

Public moneys expended at Athens on festivals, sacrifices, and public entertainments (especially theatrical performances), and in gifts to the people; -- also called theoric fund.

Festival games celebrated once in three years. [R.] May.

An ornamented cake distributed among friends or visitors on the festival of Twelfth-night.

The evening of Epiphany, or the twelfth day after Christmas, observed as a festival by various churches.

r; belonging to, or continuing, a period of eleven years; undecennary; as, an undecennial festival.

nal equinox, was divided into twelve months of thirty days, with five additional days for festivals, and every fourth year six. Each month was divided into three decades of ten days each, the week being abolished. The names of the months in their order were, Vendémiaire, Brumaire, Frimaire Nivose, Pluviose, Ventose, Ge…

A festival in honor of the visit of the Virgin Mary to Elisabeth, mother of John the Baptist, celebrated on the second of July. The Order of the Visitation of Our Lady (R. C. Ch.), a religious community of nuns, founded at Annecy, in Savoy, in 1610, and in 1808 established in the United States. In America these nuns ar…

used for a wassail; esp., a beverage formerly much used in England at Christmas and other festivals, made of ale (or wine) flavored with spices, sugar, toast, roasted apples, etc.; -- called also lamb's wool. A jolly wassail bowl, A wassail of good ale. Old Song.

The seventh Sunday, and the fiftieth day, after Easter; a festival of the church in commemoration of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost; Pentecost; -- so called, it is said, because, in the primitive church, those who had been newly baptized appeared at church between Easter and Pentecost in white g…

A day on which work is performed, as distinguished from Sunday, festivals, etc., a working day.