The Saturnalia: A Festival of Merrymaking and Subversion

The Saturnalia was a highly anticipated festival in ancient Rome, known for its subversion of traditional orders and celebration of merrymaking. It lasted for a week and involved activities such as gender confusion through clothing, allowing slaves to talk back to their masters, public banquets, and the election of a "Princeps" who could organize pranks and japes. Presents were exchanged during this time, and it had some similarities with the Lord of Misrule tradition in medieval times. However, despite the proximity in timing, there is no direct connection between the Saturnalia and the celebration of Christmas. Christians started celebrating Christmas on December 25th in the fourth century, primarily to emphasize the human incarnation of Christ. The choice of the date was likely influenced by Jewish beliefs about the symmetry of the ages and the connection of December 25th to the conception of Christ. While the Saturnalia and Christmas both involve celebrations and festivities, their origins and significance differ. The Saturnalia was associated with the worship of Saturn, while Christmas was focused on the Christian belief of the birth of Jesus.