Religious Festivals in Rome

Rome has always been a cultural and political center of the European continent since ancient times. Hence, the city of Rome is sometimes called as the eternal city. During ancient times, Rome dominated Europe. Rome was a great and glorious empire that ruled Europe for more than half a millennia. Hence, it is not surprising that Rome heavily influenced the course of European history. Ancient Rome has a deeply embedded influence on almost all aspects of European society, from religious to political, from cultural to language.

Even the Christian church, particularly the Catholic Church, was heavily patterned to the imperial structure of ancient Rome. Formerly pagan traditions and celebrations were incorporated to the new religion. Modern Roman holidays are mostly religious festivities with some ancient pagan twist. Different festivals are held in Rome whole year round. For instance, during the month of March, there are four festivals being celebrated, namely, Festival of St. Francesca, Feast of St. Joseph, Festival of Giuseppe, and Maratona della Citta di Roma or Roman Marathon. Since the Vatican City is located in Rome, it is inevitable that other religious festivals are celebrated in Rome throughout the year.