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Days designated for giving special honor to God, to the Saviour, to saints, and to holy things. Some are fixed festivals, each having a certain day of the year assigned to it. Others are movable, occurring earlier or later in different years. Festivals are also divided into

• holy days of obligation – the faithful are required to assist at Mass and abstain from unnecessary servile work
• ordinary festivals – the Church merely observes the feast in her Office and Mass

Festivals are also arranged in three classes, according to their importance

• doubles
• semi-doubles
• simples

Certain days when the Church does not honor any saint are called ferials (feria, a weekday). Some great festivals have octaves, which extend the solemnity of the feast through eight days; and some have vigils, in which the observance of the feast is begun on the preceding day.

Additional Information

• Catholic Encyclopedia

MLA Citation

• “feasts”. New Catholic Dictionary. CatholicSaints.Info. 30 December 2015. Web. 18 April 2024. <>