feria

Feria is a word used in the Roman Catholic Church to refer to a weekday on which no feast is celebrated.

In this context, a feria is any weekday (Monday through Friday) that doesn’t celebrate a holy mystery, event, or person (such as a saint). Days that celebrate one of these are called feast days.

The plural of feria is feriae or ferias. The adjective form of this meaning of feria is ferial, as in Monday is a ferial day. 

The religious sense of feria is not commonly used today, even among most Catholics. You’re much more likely to hear the word feria in Spanish, in which it refers to a local fair or festival, especially one to celebrate a local saint.

Example: Friday was a feria because there was no religious feast celebrated.

The first records of the word feria in English come from the early 1760s. It comes from the Late Latin word of the same spelling meaning “day of the week.” For example, in Latin, Monday was referred to as secunda fēria (“second day”). Versions of the term were used in Latin to refer to special holidays.

Today, the word feria is typically only used in technical discussions of the Catholic Church calendar. You are much more likely to hear the word feria used to refer to a festival held in Spain or Latin America. One of the biggest, most popular of these festivals is the Feria de Abril, which is held every year in Seville, Spain, and consists of a week of dancing, music, and fireworks.

What are some other forms related to feria?

• ferial (adjective)
• ferias (plural noun)
• feriae (plural noun)

What are some words that share a root or word element with feria? 

• fair

What are some words that often get used in discussing feria?

• weekday
• Christianity
• Catholicism
• calendar
• Spain
• Spanish America
• festival
• feast day
• saint
• festival
• fair

The word feria is used in discussions of the calendar used by the Catholic Church. It is also a Spanish word for a kind of festival.

Liturgical cycles part 2!

Any weekday (any day which is not a Sunday, so including Saturday) that a particular saint isn't celebrated is called feria or ferial.

So each weekday can be feria, or a memorial, feast or solemnity of a saint. The liturgy changes accordingly.
[1/4] pic.twitter.com/IojNdNvhfE

— Sister Walburga (@SisterWalburga) January 27, 2020

Watching the snapchats of feria in Spain is making me want to go back so much 😫😫😫😭😭😭😭

— Gregor Chappelle (@gregorchappelle) April 22, 2015

True or False?

The word feria is used by followers of Judaism to refer to a day when a feast is not held.