The ancient Roman midsummer feast dedicated to the goddess Fortuna was called Fors Fortuna.
Fors Fortuna was a Roman festival held on June 24 in honor of Fortuna, the goddess associated with chance, fate, and fortune. The celebration was connected with a temple of Fors Fortuna outside Rome, near the Tiber River. Ancient sources describe people traveling by boat along the river to reach the festival, giving the occasion a distinctive recreational character.
The date placed Fors Fortuna close to the summer solstice and to several later European midsummer observances. The festival’s name emphasizes Fortuna’s unpredictable or chance-related aspect, while the Roman religious calendar included many different festivals for deities with overlapping roles.
Fors Fortuna is sometimes confused with Floralia, a spring festival for Flora, or Saturnalia, the December festival associated with Saturn. Those celebrations occurred at different times and honored different gods. Fors Fortuna’s specific date and connection with Fortuna distinguish it from them.