“Io Saturnalia!”

What was the ‘Roman Christmas’?

Jonathan Gordon

It’s the dark of midwinter but all around you are bright candles – gifts have been exchanged, you’re digging in to a hearty meal and you’re surrounded by friends and family, many of whom might be a little the worse for drink. The mood is jolly and relaxed, no one has to work today and everyone can enjoy themselves as they see fit. Outside, you can hear people walking up the street singing songs of the season, but they aren’t Christmas carols. No, this celebration is Saturnalia, the multi-day festival of the god of farming and the harvest and, as you can likely tell, a celebration that had a lot of influence on religious holidays that followed. As the name implies, Saturnalia was a celebration of Saturn, the Roman god…

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All About History (Digital) - 1 Issue, Issue 150

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