Our favorite (unproven) theory suggests that Mr. The traditional greeting on Saturnalia was “Io Saturnalia!” People would run through the streets calling “Io, Io, Io!” 5: Santa Got His Catchphrase From Saturnalia We suspect he was probably just jealous he didn’t get invited to any of the best parties. People would stay out late into the night, drinking and partying with their friends.Īccording to legend, the Roman author (and notorious buzzkill) Pliny had to build a soundproof wall in his house just so he could keep working during Saturnalia. Then, there were public feasts and celebrations that everyone could attend. Like we mentioned earlier, each household had the Saturnalicius princeps to create chaos inside the home. Saturnalia was seven straight days of debauchery. You might just approach the level of epic-ness that happened at Saturnalia. Think of the most out-of-control holiday party you’ve ever been to, and then multiply that by ten. The tradition of hiding coins in pastries would eventually evolve into the (kind of weird) Mardi Gras custom of hiding tiny baby figurines inside king cakes. If you’re from New Orleans (or have just spent a lot of time on Bourbon Street), this might sound familiar. Whoever found the object in his cake would become the king of Saturnalia (and potentially lose a tooth in the process). The Saturnalicius princeps was chosen by fate: a small coin would be hidden in a cake served at the beginning of the festivities. Called the Saturnalicius princeps (the “leader of Saturnalia” or “Lord of Misrule”), this person’s sole job was to make mischief during the week (aka, the best job ever).Ī good Saturnalicius princeps would do the following: The best part of Saturnalia is that many households would choose a mock king who got to lord it over the rest of the house for the week. 3: Each Household Elected A Head “Mischief Maker” For The Week Unlike other Roman holidays, which were mainly celebrated by the upper classes, Saturnalia was truly for everyone. Slaves got the chance to participate in the festivities and even received gifts from their masters or sat at the head of the dinner table while their masters served them. Similarly, during Saturnalia, all social rules went out the window. Traditionally, on Boxing Day, servants received Christmas presents or a service from their masters. 2: Saturnalia Was Basically The OG Boxing DayĪnother December holiday, Boxing Day, can trace its roots to Saturnalia.įor those of you who aren’t from the UK and didn’t look it up after reading about it in Harry Potter, Boxing Day is the holiday celebrated the day after Christmas Day. Just remember – it’s not our fault if your boss looks at you like you’re crazy. Try telling your boss you celebrate Saturnalia this year – maybe you’ll get a whole week off, instead of just a day or two for Christmas. People spent their time gambling, feasting, hanging out, and giving super cool gifts. Nobody worked during Saturnalia courts and schools were closed, business dealings came to a halt. There isn’t a concrete explanation for why Saturnalia grew from one day to one week, but we’d like to think it was because people simply realized that a party that lasts a whole week is at least seven times more awesome than a party that lasts for one day. But, as more and more people started to celebrate, the holiday grew and grew until it became a weeklong festival by the time of the late Roman Republic. Initially, Saturnalia celebrations were just one day long. Those early rituals morphed into a holiday with a real name, Saturnalia, which honored Saturn, the Roman god of agriculture, who, like all benevolent deities, demanded his worshippers honor him with slaughtered lambs and gifts. It started as a farming ritual, where farmers would offer gifts and sacrifices to the gods in celebration of the winter solstice and the winter planting season. Let’s take a look at five facts about the badass ancient Roman precursor to Christmas, Saturnalia. The Roman poet Catullus described Saturnalia as “the best of times” – he didn’t even have to offer a caveat, like the Christmas-obsessed Charles Dickens did in his novel Great Expectations. I don’t know about you, but this painting of Saturnalia looks infinitely more fun than my family’s Christmas party. While we don’t celebrate Christmas with wine-induced orgies (at least at my house), we have carried over a lot of Saturnalia’s traditions into modern day. It was actually kind of similar to the Purge, except instead of everyone going nuts and murdering each other, they abandoned social order to drink and make merry. Saturnalia, the ancient Roman precursor to Christmas, was basically like the best holiday party you’ve ever been to, times a million.
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