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  1. More Images

    Saturnalia

    Ancient Roman festival in December

    Saturnalia is an ancient Roman festival and holiday in honour of the god Saturn, held on 17 December in the Julian calendar and later expanded with festivities until 19 December. By the 1st century BC, the celebration had been extended until 23 December, for a total of seven days of festivities. The holiday was celebrated with a sacrifice at the Temple of Saturn, in the Roman Forum, and a public banquet, followed by private gift-giving, continual partying, and a carnival atmosphere that overturned Roman social norms: gambling was permitted, and masters provided table service for their slaves as it was seen as a time of liberty for both slaves and freedmen alike. A common custom was the election of a "King of the Saturnalia", who gave orders to people, which were followed and presided over the merrymaking. The gifts exchanged were usually gag gifts or small figurines made of wax or pottery known as sigillaria. The poet Catullus called it "the best of days". Wikipedia

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  2. en.wikipedia.org

    Saturnalia is an ancient Roman festival and holiday in honour of the god Saturn, held on 17 December in the Julian calendar and later expanded with festivities until 19 December. By the 1st century BC, the celebration had been extended until 23 December, for a total of seven days of festivities. [1] The holiday was celebrated with a sacrifice at the Temple of Saturn, in the Roman Forum, and a ...
  3. etc.worldhistory.org

    On the first day of Saturnalia, a Lord of Misrule was appointed by throwing the dice. The King of the Saturnalia presided over and could command people to do things like to prepare a banquet or sing a song. The young Nero played that role and mockingly commanded his younger step-brother Britannicus to sing (Tacitus, Annals, 13.15).
  4. britannica.com

    Dec 13, 2024The influence of the Saturnalia upon the celebrations of Christmas and the New Year has been direct. The fact that Christmas was celebrated on the birthday of the unconquered sun (dies solis invicti nati) gave the season a solar background, connected with the kalends of January (January 1, the Roman New Year) when houses were decorated with greenery and lights, and presents were given to ...
    Author:The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
  5. Sep 18, 2023Macrobius' Saturnalia Book One, translated from Latin by Percival Vaughan Davies, from Macrobius: The Saturnalia (New York, 1969), in 176 bookmarked and searchable pdf pages. Wikipedia has an entry on the 5th-century author (Macrobius), and on his work Saturnalia, which was written after 431. Describing a conversation among scholars during a holiday called Saturnalia (Wikipedia), Macrobius ...
  6. worldhistory.org

    Saturnalia Festival. Despite Livy's claim that the festival began at the beginning of the 5th century BCE, there is evidence it began much earlier. The Saturnalia enjoyed great longevity for it was famously described in the 5th century CE work of the same name by Macrobius, who selected it as the setting for his dialogue where the protagonists display a certain nostalgia for a time when Rome's ...
  7. historyandarchaeologyonline.com

    The ancient sources also associate Saturnalia with a mythical golden age when food was available without the associated toil. During the Saturnalia, according to Lucian, 'men may remember what life was like in my days, when all things grew without sowing or plowing of theirs-no ears of corn, but loaves complete and meat ready cooked-, when wine flowed in rivers, and there were fountains ...
  8. worldhistory.org

    Jan 7, 2024The Saturnalia was the jolliest of all Roman festivals, and it was customary for everyone to greet each other with a hearty 'Io Saturnalia!' The connection with Sol Invictus and the importance of the Temple of Saturn in the Roman Forum will all be discussed in this video!
  9. worldhistory.org

    The Ancient Roman Festival of Saturnalia began as a one-day festival in honor of the Roman god Saturn, but by the late Republic, it spanned over an entire week.The Saturnalia consisted of feasting, drinking, games and general merriment. The strict social order of Roman society was not only loosened, but partially reversed with the slaves given more freedoms during this time, and their masters ...
  10. historyheist.com

    The cult statue of Saturn in the temple traditionally had woolen bonds tied around his feet, but during Saturnalia these bonds were loosened to symbolize the god's liberation. In many Roman households, a mock king was chosen: the Saturnalicius princeps, or "leader of Saturnalia," sometimes also called the "Lord of Misrule." Usually a ...

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