Io Saturnalia! That holiday you had no idea everyone was celebrating for the last 2500 years

Celebrate the Return of the Sun

Winter Solstice Earth's Orbit Summer Sun is high 65º max at noon at Latitude 48.5 Winter Sun is low 18º max at noon at Latitude 48.5º Solstice means the “sun stops” and reverses direction A turning point in the seasons

Winter Solstice Celebrations Theme: Light, salvation, rebirth, renewal Saturnalia -Sol Invictus - 25 December Christmas – Birth of Messiah – 25 December Yuletide - Pre-Christian, Northern European– Christmas tree, Yule log, red & green, mistletoe St Nicholas –Sinterklass - Santa Claus New Years Day, Halcyon Days Santa Lucia – Crown of Candles Hanukkah – rededication – Festival of Lights the Menorah

What is Saturnalia? The Roman festival honoring Saturn, god of seeds and planting (Kronos in Greek) Also honors Ops, Saturn’s consort and goddess of abundance (Opalia) Consus, god of the storage bin, was another favorite of the Romans (Consualia)

When was Saturnalia? Actually that’s a good question… Officially Dec. 17th Originally it was only one day, but people liked it so much it kept starting earlier and lasting longer.. (sound familiar?) When Julius Caesar added 2 days to December to fix the calendar, naturally they just made the party longer

Festival fit for a Titan By Cicero’s time, it went 7 days, from 17th to 23rd and culminated on Winter Solstice on the 25th Emperor Augustus limited it to 3 days to minimize disruption, but it expanded back to 5 days under Emperor Caligula

Party like it’s 99 (BC) Festival began with sacrifices at the Temple of Saturn, followed by a public banquet Then the party really started… Catullus describes it as "the best of days," and Seneca complains that the "whole mob has let itself go in pleasures."

Stop me if this sounds familiar… Romans decorated their homes with garlands of greenery and ribbon of red or purple Trees and indoor plants were decorated with garlands, ribbons, and treats Human-shaped baked goods took the place of ancient human sacrifice

Ugly Toga Parties Romans delighted in garish clothing of bright colors and gaudy jewelry Gifts were given to friends, especially beeswax candles (cerei), which symbolized the returning light of the unconquered sun (Sol Invictus) Many revelers roamed the streets, singing lusty songs (not uncommonly naked)

Switch The most popular part of the festival was role reversal: slaves could gamble and eat with their masters They would also wear the symbol of freed slaves, the pileus. It was a soft, floppy hat, often in bright colors like red.

Yup, that’s right.

So what happened? When Christianity became the official religion of Rome, the people refused to give up their festivals (imagine if you suddenly lost winter break) The church was forced to compromise; in the 4th century, Saturnalia and its customs were incorporated into the newly-assigned date for Christmas: December 25th (Winter Solstice, not so coincidentally)

Well, nothing’s perfect The wild Roman parties weren’t exactly what the church wanted in a solemn holiday. In the Middle Ages, gift-giving was even banned at Christmas because it was “too pagan.” Eventually things settled down, leaving behind a confusing mish-mash of customs jammed into a single holiday.

But I bet you’ll look at carolers differently from now on But I bet you’ll look at carolers differently from now on. "For how many years shall this festival abide! Never shall age destroy so holy a day! While the hills of Latium remain and father Tiber, while your Rome stands and the Capitol you have restored to the world, it shall continue." Statius, 1st century AD

Write 3 Saturnalia cards Draw any symbol of Roman culture. Write 1 Saturnalia Fact 1. Write a wish in Latin/English E.g. Volo (I wish) Te (you)….. Use a Latin verb or an object