Saturnalia, celebrated in mid-December, is an ancient Roman festival dedicated to the agricultural deity Saturn. Due to its timing near the winter solstice, many customs associated with Saturnalia have been integrated into modern Christmas traditions, including feasting, the exchange of gifts, wreaths, and the use of candles.
What Saturnalia Entails
Saturnalia holds the title of the most celebrated holiday in the ancient Roman calendar, evolving from earlier midwinter farming rituals. These celebrations usually included offerings to the gods during the winter sowing period, reflecting a connection to agricultural cycles. Initially observed for just one day, the festival expanded in scope, and by the late Roman Republic (circa 133-31 B.C.), it was celebrated over a week starting December 17. The Julian calendar indicated that the winter solstice occurred on December 25 during this time.
Modes of Celebration
During Saturnalia, a wide array of customary activities took place. Economic and educational institutions shut down, allowing citizens to break free from their regular routines. Homes were adorned with greenery, and the conventional toga was replaced with colorful attire called synthesis. Even enslaved individuals were granted a break from work, permitted to partake in the festivities, sometimes even occupying positions of honor at dining tables.
The Romans spent Saturnalia indulging in activities like gambling, music, singing, and sharing lavish meals—all punctuated with the giving of gifts. Wax taper candles known as cerei were popular gifts, symbolizing the return of light following the solstice. The culmination of festivities was celebrated on the final day, Sigillaria, when people exchanged small terracotta figurines known as signillaria, believed to have ancient connections to earlier sacrificial practices.
Saturnalia was marked by its joyous nature; the renowned Roman poet Catullus characterized it as “the best of times.” The uproarious celebrations were so spirited that the author Pliny famously constructed a soundproof chamber to continue working amidst the revelry.
The Temple of Saturn and Festival Customs
The Temple of Saturn, erected in the fourth century A.D. to replace an earlier structure, became the focal point for later Saturnalia events. On the inaugural day, a pig was often sacrificed publicly in the temple, situated in Rome’s northwest Forum. The cult statue of Saturn there typically bore woolen bonds around its feet which were loosened during Saturnalia to signify freedom.
Within Roman households, a figure known as the Saturnalicius princeps, or “leader of Saturnalia,” was typically chosen from lesser household members. This person was entrusted with creating mischief, making humorous insults, donning outrageous apparel, and engaging in playful antics—reigning over chaos rather than the usual societal order. The age-old practice of concealing coins in cakes originated from Saturnalia, marking a playful way to select the mock king.
The Connection Between Saturnalia and Christmas
The expansion of the Roman Empire throughout Britain and Europe from the second century B.C. to the fourth century A.D. led to the assimilation of many pagan midwinter celebrations, including Saturnalia. The Christian holiday of Christmas has adopted numerous customs from this ancient festival, including its time of observance. Although the Bible does not endorse a specific date for Jesus’ birth, some scholars argue it likely occurred in spring, based on biblical references to shepherds and their flocks during the Nativity.
However, by the fourth century A.D., Western Christian churches settled on December 25 as the date for Christmas. This decision coincided with Saturnalia and enabled them to blend the celebration with existing pagan midwinter traditions, aligning with the community’s existing festivities.
Are Christmas Traditions Rooted in Paganism?
The dynamic between pagans and early Christians during this period was complex, often marked by tension. Nevertheless, this overlap in timing and customs might have been an attempt to attract remaining pagan Romans to Christianity as it became the state religion. By the end of the fourth century, many practices from Saturnalia, such as exchanging gifts, singing, lighting candles, feasting, and merry-making, had merged into what we recognize today as Christmas traditions.
