Happy Feriae Augusti to all the Europeans in Europe who are celebrating resting and vacation time.
Today, Italians call Ferragosto this pagan feast of the 18 A.D. made in honour of the Roman Emperor Octavian Augustus.
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On the 1st of August, the Romans celebrated the harvest of grain, cereals and the Earth’s fertility. Under Roman Emperor Augustus workers were allowed to celebrate a day of rest after weeks of hard work in the agricultural sector and received a monetary bonus.
The festivity involved public rituals and banquets, bullfighting, sports events, excessive drinking and sex practices in which nobles, emperors, slaves, maids and the lower classes were permitted to participate. Even the working animals, such as cows and donkeys were left to relax for the whole month of August and showed off their festivity attires made of flowers.
Ferragosto became a law during the Renaissance throughout the papal states. The Catholic Church decided to move the festivity to the 15th of August which is the Assumption of Mary, as Ferragosto became so eradicated in people’s lives that the Roman Church decided to turn it into a legal festivity and made a holiday rather than suppress it. Mussolini, the Italian dictator, created “holiday trains” with extremely low-cost tickets for this festivity to allow the lower classes to visit cultural cities or to spend a few days at the seaside, from the 14th to the 16th of August.
Today, all the European Christian countries celebrate Ferragosto as a religious and a mid-summer holiday. I hope you get to take a mid-summer break, it is so important to recharge the batteries and keep on shining your light in this world. Ciao,
Valentina
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Valentina Cirasola is an interior-fashion consultant, author of 6 published books, a storyteller, and a blogger of many years. Her books are non-fictional practical ideas to apply in the home, fashion, cooking and travel.
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Valentina Expressions 
Aug 30, 2024 @ 12:56:46
I didn’t know about this Ferragosto holiday as a mid-summer holiday around Europe Christian countries. It sounds like a big part of the culture there, where light is celebrated alongside an occasion to have a good time. Here in Australia we are finishing up winter and heading into Spring. It has been a cold winter and am looking forward to Summer’s arrival. Hope you have been doing well, Valentina. Enjoy the rest of Summer 😊🌞
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Aug 30, 2024 @ 14:20:28
Mabel, yes, it is a well respected holiday around the Christian European countries and people take this mid-summer break as a way to recharge the batteries. Enjoy your fresh and renewed Spring to come. I am doing well and I hope you are as well.
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Aug 19, 2024 @ 19:35:58
Hi Valentina, thank you for this interesting post. I don’t know about this holiday, so it is wonderful to learn about it here. South Africa is technically still in winter but the flowers are blooming and it is lovely and warm during the day.
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Aug 19, 2024 @ 19:55:02
Robbie, I am glad you enjoyed this post. Feriae Augusti is an holiday for Christians in Europe. In fact, here in North America it is not celebrated and most of us Europeans accustomed to have a mid-summer holiday make sure they are gone at this time.
As the world turns we are in the Summer season and you in the Winter, but it’s nice to have flowers blooming and warm days, instead of grey and cold days.
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Aug 20, 2024 @ 10:12:55
Yes, I love spring and we are well on our way to spring here in South Africa. All my fruit trees are in blossom. The northern hemisphere summer season is short while ours is long.
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Aug 20, 2024 @ 14:57:39
My fruit trees bloom in different times of the year, I love it.
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Aug 21, 2024 @ 15:14:47
That is nice. Our fig tree blooms later and the lemons are winter fruit.
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Aug 16, 2024 @ 15:23:11
Happy Feriae Augusti!
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Aug 17, 2024 @ 15:01:05
Thank you, the same for you, if you celebrate it.
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