FEAST, a festival, banquet, solemnity, holiday, etc. Almost every religion has had its solemn feast-days. The ancient Greeks and Romans had them, as well as the Jews and modern Christians. According to the Old Tes tament, several festivals among the ancient Jews were divinely appointed, the first and most an cient of which was the Sabbath, or seventh day of the week, commemorative of the creation. The Passover was instituted in memory of their deliverance out of Egypt, and of the favor of God in sparing their first-born when those of the Egyptians were slain. The feast of Pente cost was celebrated on the 50th day after the Passover, in memory of the law being given to Moses on Mount Sinai. The feast of Tents or Tabernacles was instituted in memory of their fathers who dwelt in tents for 40 years in the wilderness; and all Israel was obliged to attend the temple and dwell eight days under tents. These were the principal feasts, but they had numerous others — the feast of Trumpets, the feast of Expiation or Atonement, the feast of the Dedication of the Temple, etc.
In the Christian Church no festival appears clearly to have been instituted by Jesus or his apostles, yet Christians have always celebrated the memory of his resurrection and numerous other feasts were introduced at an early period. At first they were only appointed to commem orate the more prominent events in the life and death of Christ, and the labors and virtues of the apostles and evangelists; but martyrs were soon introduced and by the 4th century the number of feasts had very greatly increased.
Many of the festivals were instituted on pagan models and were characterized by rites similar to those which the pagans observed.
Feasts are either movable or immovable. Immovable feasts are such as are celebrated constantly on the same day of the year, among them being Christmas Day, Circumcision, Epiph any, Candlemas or Purification, Lady-day or the Annunciation, All-Saints', All-Souls', and the days of the several apostles, as Saint Thomas, Saint Paul. Movable feasts are those which are not confined to the same day of the year. Of these the principal is Easter, which gives law to all the rest, all of them following and keep ing their proper distances from it; as Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Ash Wednesday. Sexa gesima, Ascension Day, Pentecost and Trinity Sunday. Besides these, which are general, there are others which are local or occasional, en joined by the magistrate or voluntarily set on foot by the people, such as. in the United States, Independence Day, celebrated annually on the 4th of July, and Thanksgiving Day, also held every year on a day set apart by the Pres ident for the occasion.