According to the Roman grammarian and philosopher Macrobius (Saturnalia I, 16, 2-8), the Romans had holidays called festi, dedicated to the gods, and weekdays, called profesti, which were reserved for human activities. There was also a third category, the days called intercisi, some of which were dedicated to human activities and some of which to the gods.

With the help of Jordi Cortadella we will discover what these public and private holidays were like, and what place they occupied in the Roman calendar. How were they commemorated? We know that during these holidays sacrifices (sacrificia), sacred feasts (epulae), games (ludi) and banquets (feriae) were held, but what were these acts like in each case?

Macrobius also specified that there were four types of public festivals: fixed, movable, extraordinary and market days (nundininae), in addition to the festivals of large families, the private festivals celebrated by each family following the rules of domestic worship, and the particular festivals of each individual, such as the natalici, the anniversary of a lightning strike, as well as funerals and atonements. We, however, will focus on the Roman public festivals, and more specifically on the best known: the Saturnalia and the Compitalia, the Lupercalia and the Megalesia.

By Jordi Cortadella, historian of the Autonomous University of Barcelona

Museum auditorium. Free admission. Limited capacity.