festival

& s. [Old Fr., from Low Latin festival is, from Lat. festivus festive, festal; festum =a feast; Sp. & Port. festival.] A. As adj .: Pertaining to or becoming a feast or time of rejoicing; festive, festal, joyous, mirthful. B. As subst.: A time of feasting or rejoicing; a feast; a festive celebration or anniversary, civil or religious. 1813 Hindu and Mohammedan feasts and fasts, and reasoning out from them the tendency and working of festivals in general. He sees three elements enter into their composition. They were designed at first to be purely religious, and a multitude of those who come together on such occasions do so from pious motives. They, however, require to make purchases, and thus the commercial element finds its way into the gathering. Finally, the young people present, with not a few adults of similar proclivities, look out for opportunities of pleasure at the fast no le than the feast, and, unle severely repre ed, convert the holy day into a holiday. There may be places in various lands where a day having been fixed to commemorate by an annual gathering an alleged manifestation of Divinity, the religious festival thus instituted has degenerated first into a commercial and ultimately into a pleasure fair. For the difference between festival and feast , see FEAST. *fěs-ti-val-ly, *fes-ti-val-y, adv . [Eng. festival; -ly.] In a festive manner; festively. fěs'-tive. a. [Lat. festivus, from festum =a feast.] 1. Joyous, gay, mirthful, becoming a feast or festival. 2. Pertaining to or used for a feast, or festival, or festivities. fěs-tive-ly, adv . [Eng. festive; -ly.] In a festive, joyous, or mirthful manner; with festivity. fěs-tiv-I-tě, 8. [Fr. festivité , from Lat. festivi tas , from festivus =festive; Sp. festividad ; Ital. fes tività.] *1. A feast, a festival; an anniversary, civil or religious. "The king also ordered the office for his festivity to be dashed out of all breviaries." -Burnet . Hist. Reformation (an. 1538). 2. A festival, feast, or festive entertainment. 3. Mirth, jollity, joyfulne . "The Roman drama had its rise in the unrestrained festivity of the rustic youth."-Hurd: Notes on Art of Poetry . Crabb thus discriminates between festivity and mirth : "There is commonly mirth with festivity , but there may be frequently mirth without festivity . The festivity lies in the outward circumstances; mirth in the temper of the mind. Festivity is rather the produce of mirth than the mirth itself. Festivity includes the social enjoyments of eating, drinking, dancing, cards, and other pleasures; mirth includes in it the buoyancy of spirits which is engendered by a participation in such pleasures; but festivity may be accompanied with intemperance." ( Crabb : Eng. Synon.) fetch fés-toôn', v. t. [FESTOON, 8.] 1. To form any material in depending curves or festoons. 2. To ornament or adorn with festoons.