Celebrate Saturnalia on Dec. 17
Image © Caitlin Hyatt 2007
No one partied quite like the ancient Romans, so it should come as no surprise that they had a huge way of celebrating around the Winter Solstice. The week-long festival of Saturnalia was known as a time of feasting, merrymaking, and general debauchery. Masters and slaves swapped places, the wine flowed freely, and sacrifices were made in honor of Saturn, the agricultural god, to ensure the fertility of crops and livestock in the coming year. There were also gift exchanges, ornaments on trees, and naked caroling (how's that for a way of startling your neighbors?).
Read all about the fun the Romans had during the week of December 17 - 23:
Io, Saturnalia!
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Well if those don’t sound like Christmas traditions, I don’t know what they are.
Boxing Day – master/servant switching roles
Hanging greenery
hanging tin ornaments
caroling – hard to do naked in MN
small present exchange
I wonder which of these traditions the Christians borrowed? (grin)