The word “August” and its association with vacations has a rather distant “noble” origin. Indeed, it derives from the Latin ‘feriae augusti’, the primitive form of the word ‘pray/invoke’, while the root ‘fes’ takes on the meaning of ‘festa’ (festival). This Latin etymology thus takes us to Rome, a few decades before the birth of Jesus Christ. At that time, the first Roman emperor, Caesar Octavian (died in 14 BC), reigned there. The Roman Senate had proclaimed him ‘Augustus’, derived from the verb ‘augeo’ (distinguished), which in its meaning corresponds to ‘Majesty’/‘His Highness’/‘Excellence’.
A Different Calendar and Gods
In the Roman calendar of this period, the year began with the month of March due to the founding of the city (Urbe) on March 21, 753 BC. Therefore, in those days, August corresponded to the sixth month of the year (Sextilis).
In 21 BC, Augustus (Caesar Octavian) decided that the sixth month of the year would be dedicated to the ‘Feriae Augusti’, which refers to the religious festivals devoted to prayers to the Gods. It’s noteworthy that the Romans had ‘adopted’ the Gods of Greek tradition by changing their names. For example, Zeus, the king of the gods for the Greeks, became Jupiter for the Romans. This festival and these religious prayers were honored and celebrated for the Emperor’s delight.
The most important festivals in the Roman calendar at the time were: Neptunalia, dedicated to Neptune at the end of July; Festum Salutis (the Festival of Health), which corresponds to our Virgin of Providence festival on August 5; while on August 12, Hercules Invictus and the Triumphant were celebrated. August 13 was the day of the most important festival, dedicated to ‘Diana Aventinensis’, also known as ‘Festum servorum dies’ (the day of the festival of slaves). Servius Tullius, the 6th legendary king of ancient Rome, wrote: “the slaves and their owners used to go to the Aventine (one of the seven hills on which Rome was built – Editor’s note) to pay homage to the goddess at an altar dedicated to her, and then they would head to the fields to eat together.”
This day of the slaves may not mean much to you, but it is indeed the origin of the festival of August 15 and the tradition of a joyful family celebration which, in truth, has been lost today despite the playful nature still attributed to the day.
Centuries of Evolution
With Christianity, these festivals were not abolished, but like the Romans with the Greeks, the dates and beliefs slowly transformed. In the mid-3rd century, Mary is proclaimed ‘Theotokos’ (Mother of God). From there began the spread of the cult of ‘Dormitio Mariae’ (the sleep/rest of Mary), celebrated at the Tomb of the Virgin in the Garden of Gethsemane, which Emperor Mauritius (Maurice/539-602) then imposed throughout the Eastern Empire.
In Rome, Pope Sixtus III (432-440) built the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, and from the 6th century, practitioners began to celebrate the Marian feast on January 1.
In 660, the official date became August 15, and with Syrian Pope Sergius I (687-702), the name ‘Dormitio’ became official. It then took until the year 770 for the name ‘Assumption’ to appear, which was proclaimed by the dogma of Pope Pius XII 1200 years later.
