honorthegods:Wishing you the best Saturnalia!Saturnalia is a Roman religious festival honoring the a

honorthegods:Wishing you the best Saturnalia!Saturnalia is a Roman religious festival honoring the agricultural god Saturn. The first Saturnalia was held in 497 BCE for the dedication of the Temple of Saturn in Rome. An annual festival commemorating the dies natalis (anniversary) of this event was thereafter held on December 17. The celebration proved so popular that it was extended to three days, then to an entire week, from December 17 to 23.The Saturnalia celebration recalled the mythical Age of Saturn, when crops grew without human toil and humanity lived in harmony with nature and each other. Elements of the festival included gatherings of friends and family, plentiful food and drink, games, gift-giving, decorations of garlands and wreaths of holly and evergreens with stars, sparkly ornaments, and candles.  The reversal of normal societal roles was emblematic of Saturnalia: bosses gave bonuses to their employees, familes of means provided for the poor, masters served meals to slaves and servants, children were allowed to attend theatrical performances and to gamble.The traditional greeting during this celebration is “Io, Saturanalia!” (Io is pronounced “”ee-o” or “yo”)Bene! -- source link

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