The Collection Blogs Saturnalia Festival Saturnalia was a festival celebrated in the winter, from the 17th to the 23rd December. It was a celebration of the god Saturn. It included a public holiday where everyone had the day off! A Holiday Greeting Today we use Merry Christmas, but the Romans would have used the seasons greeting - "io saturnalia" (said Yo Saturnalia). It is thought by some people that this might be where Santa Claus got his "Ho Ho Ho". Who was Saturn? Roman god of farming and the harvest. He is often shown holding a scythe - a tool used to cut crops. Saturnalia was a celebration at the end of the planting season and grew into festival popular with everyone not just farmers. Many of the Roman traditions for Saturnalia have been so popular they have lasted through the years. How do today's winter celebrations compare with those of the Romans? Deck the Halls Houses were decorated with holly which is sacred to Saturn and other greenery was used to decorate altars with pictures of Saturn. Garlands with red berries were hung over doorways and windows. Today people use lots of foliage in their houses to celebrate Christmas with, garlands, pinecones, berries and even trees! Time to Eat! Feasting continued throughout the festival, in Rome, on the first day of Saturnalia, a pig was sacrificed at the temple of Saturn it was then used for a public banquet. Today's Christmas celebrations often involve inviting friends and family members to have a meal together. Although what is eaten has changed the idea of sharing food together has not. All wrapped up The last day of Saturnalia, 23rd December, was a day of gift giving, usually small, cheap tokens, which most could afford, so as not to distinguish the rich from the poor. Gifts included combs, candles, purses, small lamps, wax figurines and cheap pottery. In the days leading up to the festival, the shops would be filled with cheap trinkets - just like today at Christmas! Twinkle Town The normally dark streets of the cities were lit by candles, and because the merriment continued late into the night this helped people to make their way home. Today lots of light is used to celebrate at this time of year. Throughout many different faiths and celebrations candles electric lights and even fireworks are often used to illuminate the dark skies. The Mischief Makers! General rules were turned upside down while Saturnalia was celebrated. To aid this on the first day of Saturnalia, people threw dice to choose the Lord of Misrule. They were in charge of the festival events and often ordered masters to serve dinner to slaves. Today we have a mischief maker and chaos creator in the elf on the shelf! Find out more about the Lord of Misrule here. Manage Cookie Preferences