Caristia
Encyclopedia
In ancient Rome
, the Caristia, also known as the Cara Cognatio, was an official but privately observed holiday on February 22 that celebrated love of family with banqueting and gifts. Families gathered to dine together and offer food and incense to the Lares
as their household gods. It was a day of reconciliation when disagreements were to be set aside, but the poet Ovid
observes satirically that this could be achieved only by excluding family members who caused trouble.
, nine days of remembrance which began on February 13 and concluded with the Feralia
on February 21, or in the view of some, the Caristia on the next day. For the Parentalia, families visited the tombs of their ancestors and shared cake and wine both in the form of offerings and as a meal among themselves. The Feralia was a more somber occasion, a public festival of sacrifices and offerings to the Manes
, the spirits of the dead who required propitiation. The Caristia was a recognition of the family line as it continued into the present and among the living.
There were distributions of bread, wine, and sportulae (bonuses, tips, tokens of appreciation). The poet Martial
has a pair of poems on gift-giving for the holiday; in one, he offers a sort of "non-apology apology
" to his relatives Stella and Flaccus, explaining that he's sent them nothing because he didn't want to offend others who ought to receive a gift from him and wouldn't.
. The Cara Cognatio remained on the calendar long after the Roman Empire
had come under Christian rule. It appeared in the Chronography of 354
, and the calendar of Polemius Silvius
(449 AD) juxtaposed the old holiday with a feast day commemorating the burial of St. Peter and St. Paul. As a "love feast," the Caristia was not incompatible with Christian attitudes; some scholars have detected an influence of the Parentalia and Caristia on the Christian agape feast
, with the consumption of bread and wine at the ancestral tomb replaced by the Eucharist
. In the 5th century, some Christian priests even encouraged participation in funerary meals.
In the first half of the 6th century, some Gallo-Romans still observed a form of the holiday with food offerings to the dead and a ritual meal. By then, however, the practice had come under suspicion as a "pagan
" ritual, and the Council of Tours in 567
explicitly censured those who "defiled" the feast day of St. Peter
. The observances were condemned by Caesarius of Arles as an excuse for drunkenness, dancing, singing, and other demonic
behaviors. The suppression of traditional commemorations of the dead were part of increasing efforts by the Church to control and monopolize religious behaviors in Merovingian Gaul.
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
, the Caristia, also known as the Cara Cognatio, was an official but privately observed holiday on February 22 that celebrated love of family with banqueting and gifts. Families gathered to dine together and offer food and incense to the Lares
Lares
Lares , archaically Lases, were guardian deities in ancient Roman religion. Their origin is uncertain; they may have been guardians of the hearth, fields, boundaries or fruitfulness, hero-ancestors, or an amalgam of these....
as their household gods. It was a day of reconciliation when disagreements were to be set aside, but the poet Ovid
Ovid
Publius Ovidius Naso , known as Ovid in the English-speaking world, was a Roman poet who is best known as the author of the three major collections of erotic poetry: Heroides, Amores, and Ars Amatoria...
observes satirically that this could be achieved only by excluding family members who caused trouble.
Activities and context
The Caristia was one of several days in February that honored family or ancestors. It followed the ParentaliaParentalia
In ancient Rome, the Parentalia or dies parentales was a nine-day festival held in honor of family ancestors, beginning February 13....
, nine days of remembrance which began on February 13 and concluded with the Feralia
Feralia
Feralia was an ancient Roman public festival celebrating the Manes which fell on the 21st of February as recorded by Ovid in Book II of his Fasti. This day marked the end of Parentalia, a nine day festival honoring the dead ancestors...
on February 21, or in the view of some, the Caristia on the next day. For the Parentalia, families visited the tombs of their ancestors and shared cake and wine both in the form of offerings and as a meal among themselves. The Feralia was a more somber occasion, a public festival of sacrifices and offerings to the Manes
Manes
In ancient Roman religion, the Manes or Di Manes are chthonic deities sometimes thought to represent the souls of deceased loved ones. They were associated with the Lares, Genii, and Di Penates as deities that pertained to domestic, local, and personal cult...
, the spirits of the dead who required propitiation. The Caristia was a recognition of the family line as it continued into the present and among the living.
There were distributions of bread, wine, and sportulae (bonuses, tips, tokens of appreciation). The poet Martial
Martial
Marcus Valerius Martialis , was a Latin poet from Hispania best known for his twelve books of Epigrams, published in Rome between AD 86 and 103, during the reigns of the emperors Domitian, Nerva and Trajan...
has a pair of poems on gift-giving for the holiday; in one, he offers a sort of "non-apology apology
Non-apology apology
A non-apology apology is a statement in the form of an apology but that is not in fact an apology at all. It is common in both politics and public relations...
" to his relatives Stella and Flaccus, explaining that he's sent them nothing because he didn't want to offend others who ought to receive a gift from him and wouldn't.
On the calendar
Unlike public festivals, the Caristia and other privately observed holidays were allowed to fall on even-numbered days of the Roman calendarRoman calendar
The Roman calendar changed its form several times in the time between the founding of Rome and the fall of the Roman Empire. This article generally discusses the early Roman or pre-Julian calendars...
. The Cara Cognatio remained on the calendar long after the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
had come under Christian rule. It appeared in the Chronography of 354
Chronography of 354
The Chronography of 354, also known as the Calendar of 354, was a 4th century illuminated manuscript, which was produced in 354 AD for a wealthy Roman Christian named Valentinus. It is the earliest dated codex to have full page illustrations. None of the original has survived...
, and the calendar of Polemius Silvius
Polemius Silvius
Polemius Silvius was the author of an annotated Julian calendar that attempted to integrate the traditional Roman festival cycle with the new Christian holy days. His calendar, also referred to as a laterculus or fasti, dates to around 448–449...
(449 AD) juxtaposed the old holiday with a feast day commemorating the burial of St. Peter and St. Paul. As a "love feast," the Caristia was not incompatible with Christian attitudes; some scholars have detected an influence of the Parentalia and Caristia on the Christian agape feast
Agape feast
The term Agape or Love feast was used of certain religious meals among early Christians that seem originally to have been closely related to the Eucharist...
, with the consumption of bread and wine at the ancestral tomb replaced by the Eucharist
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
. In the 5th century, some Christian priests even encouraged participation in funerary meals.
In the first half of the 6th century, some Gallo-Romans still observed a form of the holiday with food offerings to the dead and a ritual meal. By then, however, the practice had come under suspicion as a "pagan
Paganism
Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....
" ritual, and the Council of Tours in 567
Council of Tours
In the medieval Roman Catholic church there were several Councils of Tours, that city being an old seat of Christianity, and considered fairly centrally located in France. Athenius, Bishop of Rennes, took part in the First Council of Tours in AD 461...
explicitly censured those who "defiled" the feast day of St. Peter
Chair of Saint Peter
The Chair of Saint Peter is a relic conserved in St. Peter's Basilica, enclosed in a gilt bronze casing that was designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and executed 1647-53....
. The observances were condemned by Caesarius of Arles as an excuse for drunkenness, dancing, singing, and other demonic
Christian demonology
Christian demonology is the study of demons from a Christian point of view. It is primarily based on the Bible , the exegesis of these scriptures, the scriptures of early Christian philosophers and hermits, tradition, and legends incorporated from other beliefs.-Development:In monotheistic...
behaviors. The suppression of traditional commemorations of the dead were part of increasing efforts by the Church to control and monopolize religious behaviors in Merovingian Gaul.