Saturnalia is an ancient Roman religious festival honoring the agricultural god Saturn. The first Sa

Saturnalia is an ancient 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, and annual festival commemorating the dies natalis (anniversary) of this event was 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 age of Saturn was a mythical era when crops grew without human toil, and humanity lived in harmony with nature and each other. This was recalled in the Saturnalia celebration with donations of money and food to the poor, and the general giving of gifts. Normal societal roles were reversed: masters served meals to slaves and servants, and children were permitted to attend feasts and theatrical performances, and to gamble.Other elements of the Saturnalia celebration were garlands and wreaths of holly and evergreens, ribbons, candles, decorations of stars and reflective metallic ornaments, food and drink, games, gatherings of friends and family, and the giving of gifts.The traditional greeting during this celebration is Io, Saturanalia! (”Io” is pronounced “”ee-o” or “yo”)✨☀️✨Wishing you the best Saturnalia!✨☀️✨Featured image: Roman banquet by Joseph Coomans, 1876. Image Source: Wikimedia Commons (X)  Image License: Public Domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author’s life plus 100 years or fewer, and in the United States because it was published anywhere/in the U.S. before 1925. The quote is based on the final lines of Statius’ “The Emperor’s Saturnalia”, Silvae, I.6.98.  -- source link

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