FAX

( φανός ), a torch. As the principal use of torches was to give light to those who went abroad after sunset, the portion of the Roman day immediately succeeding sun-set was called fax or prima fax . The use of torches after sun-set, and the practice of celebrating marriages at that time, probably led to the consideration of the torch as one of the nece ary accompaniments and symbols of marriage. Among the Romans the fax nuptial is having been lighted at the parental hearth, was carried before the bride by a boy whose parents were alive. The torch was also carried at funerals ( fax sepulchral is ), both because these were often nocturnal ceremonies, and because it was used to set fire to the pile.