FESTIVALS (fe's'ef-vals), (Heb. khag, from the verb signifying to dance, and 1;:'17, mo-ade', a set time or assenzbly, filace of assembling), were occasions of public religious observances, ring at certain set and somewhat distant intervals.
1. DiVine Institutions. Those which owe their existence to the authority of God are, the seventh day of the week, or the Sabbath ; the Passover ; Pentecost; the Feast of Trumpets ; the Day of Atonement ; the Feast of Tabernacles; the New Moon. Festivals which arose under purely human influences are, the Feast of Lots, or Purim ; the Death of Holofernes ; the Dedi cation ; the Sacred Fire; the Death of Nicanor.
At the daily service two lambs of the first year were to be offered at the door of the tabernacle; one in the morning, the other in the evening, a continual burnt-offering. With each lamb was to be fl.crecl one-tenth of an ephah of flour, min gled with one-fourth of a hin of fresh oil, for a meat-offering, and one-fourth of a hin of wine for a drink-offering. Frankincense was to be placed on the 'neat-offering, a handful of which, with the frankincense, was to be burnt. and the remainder was to be eaten by the priest in the holy place, without leaven. The priests were to offer daily the tenth of an ephah of fine flour, half in the morning and half in the evening, for themselves. The high-priest svas to dress the lamps in the tabernacle every morning, and light them every evening; and at the same time burn incense on the altar of incense. The people provided oil for the lamps which were to burn from evening to morning; the ashes were re moved by a priest, dressed in his linen garment and his linen drawers, and then carried by him out of the camp, in his common dress. Great stress was laid on the regular observance of these requirements (Num. xxviii :1-8; Exod. xxix :38 42 ; Lev. vi :8-23 ; Exod. xxx ; xxvii :20 ; Lev. xxiv :i-4 ; Num. viii :2).
(1) The Sabbath. Labor was to last not longer than six days. The seventh was a Sab
bath, a day of rest, of holy convocation, on which no one, not even strangers or cattle, was allowed to do any servile work. The offender was liable to stoning.
On the Sahbath two lambs of the first year, without blemish, were to be offered for a burnt offering, morning and evening, with two-tenths of an ephah of flour, mingled with oil, for a meat-offering, and one-half of a hin of wine for a drink-offering, thus doubling the offering for ordinary days. Twelve cakes of fine flour were to be placed every Sabbath upon the table in the tabernacle, in two piles, and pure frankincense laid on the uppermost of each pile. These were to be furnished by the people; two were offered to Jehovah, the rest were eaten by the priests in the holy place (Exod. xvi :23; Lev. xxiii :3; XVi : 2 ; Num. xxviii :9, to).
(2) New Moon (Heb. V-)-3711:;*1, roshe kho'desh, beginning of month, Num. x :to; xxviii:11).
At the New Moon festival, in the beginning of the month, in addition to the daily sacrifice, two heifers, one ram, and seven lambs of the first year, were to be offered as burnt-offerings, with three tenths of an ephah of flour, mingled with oil, for each heifer ; two-tenths of an ephah of flour, min gled with oil, for the ram ; and one-tenth of an ephah of flour, mingled with oil, for every lamb, and a drink offering of half of a hin of wine for a heifer, one-third of a hin for the ram, and one fourth of a hin for every lamb. One kid of the goats was also to be offered as a sin-offering.
(3) The Seventh New Moon, or Feast of Trumpets (Heb. riF17 yonze ter-oo-aw', day of blowing).
The first day of the seventh month was to be a Sabbath, a holy convocation, accompanied by the blowing of trumpets. I n addition to the daily and monthly sacrifices, one ram and seven lambs were to be offered as burnt-offerings, with their respect ive meat-offerings, as at the usual New Moon festival (Num. xxviii :11-15; xxix :1:6; Lev. xxiii :23-23).