Legal Definitions - diebus feriatis

diebus feriatis is a historical Latin term that translates to "on holidays." It refers to specific days when legal proceedings, court sessions, or other official legal business were traditionally suspended because they were designated as holidays, often for religious observance or public celebration.

Here are some examples illustrating the historical application of diebus feriatis:

• Imagine a medieval English court's calendar from the 14th century. It would explicitly mark days like Christmas, Easter, and various saints' feast days as diebus feriatis. On these days, no new cases would be heard, no judgments would be rendered, and no legal documents would be officially processed. The court simply did not operate.

  This illustrates diebus feriatis because these designated religious holidays historically mandated a complete cessation of legal activities, reflecting the term's meaning of "on holidays" when legal work was suspended.

• Consider a historical decree issued by a monarch in the 17th century, stating that no arrests could be made, nor could any legal summons be served, on specific national holidays such as the monarch's birthday or a day of national thanksgiving. Any attempt to conduct such legal actions on these days would be deemed invalid.

  This example demonstrates diebus feriatis by showing how official decrees historically recognized certain public holidays as periods during which specific legal enforcement actions were explicitly prohibited, reinforcing the idea of a legal pause "on holidays."

• Picture a legal scholar in 16th-century Rome advising a client about the deadline for filing an appeal. The scholar would carefully consult the ecclesiastical and civil calendars, noting that if the deadline fell on a major religious festival like the Feast of the Assumption, the filing would automatically be postponed to the next non-holiday business day, as that festival was considered a dies feriatus.

  This scenario highlights diebus feriatis by showing how these historical holidays directly impacted legal deadlines and procedures, effectively extending them because legal offices and courts were closed "on holidays."