Refrigerium

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Marble relief showing a refrigerium (annual commemorative meal for the dead) from the vicinity of Ankara, Turkey, 3rd Century CE, Honolulu Academy of Arts
Marble relief showing a refrigerium (annual commemorative meal for the dead) from the vicinity of Ankara, Turkey, 3rd Century CE, Honolulu Academy of Arts

The Latin word refrigerium literally means ‘refreshment’, and is the origin of the English noun ‘refrigerator’ (Webster, 1913). In ancient Rome, the word refrigerium referred specifically to a commemorative meal for the dead consumed in a graveyard. These meals were held on the day of burial, then again on the ninth day after the funeral, and annually thereafter. Early Christians continued the refrigerium ritual, by taking food to gravesites and catacombs in honor of Christian martyrs, as well as relatives.

[edit] References

  • La Piana, George, The Tombs of Peter and Paul Ad Catacumbas, The Harvard Theological Review, Vol. 14, No. 1 (Jan., 1921), 53.
  • Lietzmann, Hans, The Tomb of the Apostles Ad Catacumbas, The Harvard Theological Review, Vol. 16, No. 2 (Apr., 1923), 147.
  • Webster, Noah, Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Springfield, Mass., G. & C. Merriam Company, 1913.