Quinquatrus
- a festival celebrated in honor of Minerva, the festival of Minerva (of these there were two, the greater, majores, held from the 19th to the 23d of March; and the lesser, minores or minusculae, on the 13th of June): Quinquatrus, hic dies unus, a nominis errore observatur proinde ac sint quinque. Dictus ut ab Tusculanis post diem sextum Idus similiter vocatur Sexatrus, et post diem septimum Septimatrus; sic hic, quod erat post diem quintum Idus Quinquatrus, Varr. L. L. 6, § 14 Müll. This is described by Ov. F. 3, 809 sqq.; Plaut. Mil. 3, 1, 97 (692): Quinquatribus frequenti senatu causam tuam egi, Cic. Fam. 12, 25, 1: pridie Quinquatrus, id. Att. 9, 13, 2: Quinquatribus ultimis, Liv. 44, 20; Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 197.— In the form Quinquatria: celebrabat et in Albano quotannis Quinquatria Minervae, Suet. Dom. 4: sollemnia Quinquatrium, id. Ner. 34: nos Quinquatriis satis jucunde egimus, August. ap. Suet. Aug. 71; Ov. Am. 1, 8, 65.— Of the lesser Quinquatrus: Quinquatrus minusculae dictae Juniae Idus ab similitudine majorum, quod tibicines tum feriati vagantur per urbem et conveniunt ad aedem Minervae, Varr. L. L. 6, § 17 Müll.; cf. Fest. p. 149 ib.: et jam Quinquatrus jubeor narrare minores, Ov. F. 6, 651.
and Quinquātria (neut. pl.). A festival celebrated at Rome on the 19th of March, in honour of Mars and, in a greater degree, of Minerva, whose temple had been founded on that day on the Aventine. An incorrect explanation of the name quinquatrus, which means the fifth day after the Ides (Varro, L. L. vi. 14), led to the festival in honour of Minerva being afterwards prolonged to five days. It was celebrated by all whose employment was under the protection of the goddess, such as teachers and their pupils. The latter obtained a holiday during the festival, and began a new course of study when it was over. The former received at this time their yearly stipend —the minerval. (See ludus litterarius.) The festival was also celebrated by women and children (as being spinners and weavers), by artisans and artists of every kind, and by poets and painters. The first day of the festival was celebrated with sacrifices by the State in honour of the founding of the temple. On the following days the gladiators performed, and there were social gatherings in the houses. On June 13th the minor Quinquatrus (Quinquatrus minusculae) took place. This festival lasted three days. It was celebrated by the guild of the flute-players, an important and numerous body at Rome. They honoured the goddess as their special patroness by meeting at her temple, by masked processions through the city, and by a banquet in the temple of the Capitoline Iupiter. See Livy , lx. 30; Ovid, Fast. vi. 651; Juv.x. 115; and Marquardt, Staatsverwaltung, iii. 566 in the second edition.