Roman Holidays & Festivals

The ancient Romans loved games and festivals. They were either preparing for or enjoying some sort of festival or celebration just about every day of the year! In the process, the ancient Romans "invented" the origins of many of the fun holiday activities we enjoy today.

Valentine's Day: The ancient Roman festival called Lupercalia honored love. On this day, young people in ancient Rome chose future marriage partners by drawing names from a hat. Can you imagine choosing your husband or wife by drawing a name from a hat? As you might guess, some of these relationships did not turn out very well and did not last very long. But some worked out very well. Some couples stayed married for life. 

The Roman god Cupid has played a role in the celebration of love for a very long time. To the ancient Romans, Cupid was the son of Venus (the Roman goddess of love & beauty.) 

May Day: Some people believe the ancient Romans "invented" the May Pole! Like other ancient civilizations, the ancient Romans worshipped many gods and goddesses. To honor the deities of new life and flowers, legend suggests they cut down a tree, decorated it with ribbons, then danced around it. This was the beginning of the May Pole. It could be true. It would certainly be in character!

No one is quite sure who first originated the idea of May Day, but for all the ancient cultures, the coming of summer was cause for celebration. It meant food could be gathered and planted. As part of their celebration, some ancient people gathered flowers and put them on window ledges to keep out pesky spirits. Others filled baskets with gifts and greenery to give to friends and loved ones.

Decorating with greenery: The ancient Romans loved celebrations. They especially enjoyed a holiday they celebrated around the 25th of December. The Romans feasted, gave gifts, were merry, and decorated their homes with greenery, customs they borrowed from the ancient Greeks!

Explore Roman Holiday Customs

There were so many holidays in March
 that the Romans added a special holiday day for resting!

Valentine's Day

May Day

Christmas & Other Holidays