Nearly all these events were nature-festi vals, mainly associated with the procession of seasons. Some commemorated mighty his torical events; and the Nemcseia, or festival of the dead, was probably a survival of the old ancestor-worship of the East. The national feasts at which the games and the mighty dramas were played took a leading place in the life of Athens. For the games, see Isrrn MIAtf, NEMEAN, OLYMPIC, PYTHIAN.
Roman The chief of the very numerous festivals of the Roman calendar during the Augustan Age were as follows: In January, New Year's day, the Agonalia, and the Carmentaiia; in February, the Faunali, the Lupercalia, the Quirinalia, the Feralia, the Terminalia (in earlier times the last day of the Roman year), the Regifugium or Fugalia, and the Equiria; in March, the Matronalsa (a repetition of the Equiria), the festival of Anna Perenna, the Liberalia or Agonalia, and the in April, the Megalesia, the eralta, the Palilia, the Vinalia, the Robigatia and the Floralia; in May, the festival of the Lases Prcestites, the Lemuria, the Ludi Martiales, and the festival of Mercury; in June, the feast of Sento Sancus, the Vestalia, the Matralia and the Quinquatrus Minuscules; in July, the Ludi Apollinares, and the Nep tunalia; in August, the Nemoralia (Diana's Day), the Consulia, the Vinalia Rusttca, and the Vulcanalia; in September, the bun Magni to celebrate Jupiter, Juno and Minerva; in October, the Meditrinalia (new wine festival), the Faunalia, and the Equiria; in November, the Epulum Jovis; in December, Faunalia, Opalia, Saturnalia, Larentalia. Of all these new and old festivals of the Augustan Age the most recent were the Megalesia,. the Ludi Apollinares, the Floralia and the Cerealia, added to the Calendar about the close of the 3d century a.c. mainly by foreign influence. Among the most ancient were the Lupercalia to celebrate Lupercus (fertility); the Equiria (Martial); the Palilia (a spring festival for the purification of the flocks and herds) ,• the Ludt Magni, and the great winter solstice festi val, the Saturnalia, the Roman equivalent of our Yuletide. In earlier times in Italy the festivals were comparatively few in number; some, like the Lemuralia and the Feralia, be ing expressions of animism. Later, Imperial Rome followed her usual receptive plans in dealing with conquered states and gave a warm welcome to many of the festival customs of her colonies. To such an extent were these
importations carried that at one time there were more feast-days than work-days. The mimic battles on sea and land, the wild beast fights and gladiatorial combats, were often at tended by great loss of life in the face of multitudes of admiring spectators. These con tests, in which as many as 10,000 men would oppose each other, were suppressed at the be ginning of the 5th century of the Christian era.
The festivals of the an dent Zoroastrians (or Mazdasnans) of Persia were chiefly solar, and held at the equinoxes and solstices. The New Year's feast (the Fra vardigan) was associated with relics of earlier barbaric rites and ceremonies; though the Zo roastrians, being a forward people, were singu larly free from superstition. The great feast of the winter solstice, a prominent feature of the Mithra cult of Persia, influenced other pop ular 'religious forms of the Orient and is re puted to have originated Christmas for the Occident. Buddhism, another religion which re acted against much outward display: has gradu ally adopted some festive customs. In India the most important of these are Holi, held in March or April, and continuing for five days and the Dasahara which is observed in October, In Siam, the 8th day of the month, as well as the 15th, are analogous to our Sunday. In China, sects holds sacred the traditional anni versaries of the three respective days on which Buddha returned to earth to take up the burden of the world, on which he departed from the home of his parents and on which he fulfilled his destiny and entered into Nirvana. For all details of the intricate festival system of the Chinese, consult Doolittle's Life of the Chinese.> The most important of all these annual occasions in China is in honor of the dead at the winter solstice.
The Phrygian festivals were developed un der the belief that the All-powerful fell asleep during the winter; therefore, at the autumnal equinox the Phrygians solemnized the eve of h s retirement; and, at the spring equinox, they roused him from his bed with music and danc ing and all manner of mirth, that as they thought he might be fully awake during the summer season.