Legal Definitions - feast

In a historical legal context, a feast refers to a significant religious holiday or festival from the ecclesiastical calendar that was formally recognized and used as a specific, fixed date or reference point within legal documents, contracts, or for setting judicial terms. These days provided a widely understood and stable temporal marker in societies where religious calendars played a central role in daily life and legal administration.

• Example 1: Lease Agreement Payment Date

  Imagine a historical lease agreement for agricultural land, which stipulated that the annual rent was due "on or before the Feast of St. Martin." In this scenario, November 11th (St. Martin's Day) served as the legally binding deadline for the tenant to make their payment to the landlord. This illustrates how a specific religious holiday was incorporated directly into a contractual obligation as a precise payment date.

• Example 2: Judicial Term Setting

  A medieval court might have announced that its next session, or "term," would commence "the Monday following the Feast of Pentecost." Even though Pentecost is a movable feast (its date changes each year relative to Easter), its position within the ecclesiastical calendar was well-known. By referencing this feast, the court provided a clear, universally understood start date for its legal proceedings, allowing parties to prepare for their appearances.

• Example 3: Property Transfer in a Will

  Consider a historical will that stated, "My estate, including all lands and chattels, shall pass to my eldest son upon the Feast of the Assumption following my demise." Here, August 15th (the Feast of the Assumption) was designated as the exact legal moment when the ownership and control of the inherited property would officially transfer from the deceased's estate to the heir. This demonstrates the use of a feast day to define the effective date of a significant legal event like an inheritance.