''Cervulus'' or ''Cervula'' is the name of a

Roman festival Festivals in ancient Rome were a very important part in religion in ancient Rome, Roman religious life during both the Roman Republic, Republican and Roman Empire, Imperial eras, and one of the primary features of the Roman calendar. ''Feri ...

celebrated on the

kalends The calends or kalends ( la, kalendae) is the first day of every month in the Roman calendar. The English word "calendar" is derived from this word. Use The Romans called the first day of every month the ''calends'', signifying the start of a ne ...

of January (1 January). According to Chambers (1864), remnants seem to have been incorporated into a medieval Christian

Feast of the Ass The Feast of the Ass ( la, Festum Asinorum, asinaria festa; french: Fête de l'âne) is a medieval, Christianity, Christian festival, feast observed on 14 January, celebrating the Flight into Egypt. It was originally celebrated primarily in France ...

, (''Festum Asinorum''), which honors the role of

donkey The domestic donkey is a hoofed mammal in the family Equidae, the same family as the horse. It derives from the African wild ass, ''Equus africanus'', and may be classified either as a subspecies thereof, ''Equus africanus asinus'', or as a ...

s in the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

, including the

Flight into Egypt The flight into Egypt is a story recounted in the Gospel of Matthew ( Matthew 2:13– 23) and in New Testament apocrypha. Soon after the visit by the Magi, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream telling him to flee to Egypt with Mary and the i ...

."It took place on the

kalends of January New Year's Day is a festival observed in most of the world on 1 January, the first day of the year in the modern Gregorian calendar. 1 January is also New Year's Day on the Julian calendar, but this is not the same day as the Gregorian one. Whi ...

and was a kind of New Year's festival, at which people exchange ''strenae'' (étrennes, 'gifts') dressed up as animals or old women, and danced through the streets singing, the applause of the populace. According to DuCange (s.v
cervulus
, sacrilegious songs were sung. This happened even in the vicinity of St. Peter's in Rome" >

References

{{reflist Ancient Roman festivals January observances New Year celebrations