ABSTRACT
Besides the hospitality offered on a daily basis as a matter of course, or spontaneously, there was also the ritualised hospitality that was offered on ceremonial occasions such as calendar feasts and rites of passage. This type of hospitality was the result of events in the course of the year or in the course of a lifetime that were cause for celebration, or – in case of death – mourning. Especially for the study of calendar feasts David Beck’s diary is an exceptionally rich source. Since it covers a full year it gives wonderful insights into the ritual feasts that Beck and his circle celebrated. Unlike what was suggested earlier, the fact that Beck was still in mourning did not prevent him and his household being in an occasional festive mood. As a matter of fact, calendar feasts were the second most important occasion for the exchange of gifts after daily exchanges of hospitality, and hospitality was the most common gift offered during these calendar feasts.
