![]() ![]() By the time Lucian described the festivities, it was a seven-day event. During the reign of the Emperor Augustus (63 BC-AD 14), it was a two-day affair starting on December 17th. Saturnalia grew in duration and moved to progressively later dates under the Roman period. Numerous archaeological sites from the Roman coastal province of Constantine, now in Algeria, demonstrate that the cult of Saturn survived there until the early third century AD. Saturnalia originated as a farmer’s festival to mark the end of the autumn planting season in honour of Saturn ( satus means sowing). Drinking and being drunk, noise and games of dice, appointing of kings and feasting of slaves, singing naked, clapping … an occasional ducking of corked faces in icy water – such are the functions over which I preside.’ ‘During my week the serious is barred: no business allowed. The poet Lucian of Samosata (AD 120-180) has the god Cronos (Saturn) say in his poem, Saturnalia: Family households threw dice to determine who would become the temporary Saturnalian monarch. The wealthy were expected to pay the month’s rent for those who couldn’t afford it, masters and slaves to swap clothes. Saturnalia saw the inversion of social roles. The first-century AD poet Gaius Valerius Catullus described Saturnalia as ‘the best of times’: dress codes were relaxed, small gifts such as dolls, candles and caged birds were exchanged. But was Christmas, Western Christianity’s most popular festival, derived from the pagan Saturnalia? This was Saturnalia, the pagan Roman winter solstice festival. A time for feasting, goodwill, generosity to the poor, the exchange of gifts and the decoration of trees. It was a public holiday celebrated around December 25th in the family home. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |