All these airs, and all this exultation, are excited in Sabellus by half a peck of meal, and as much of parched beans by three half pounds of frankincense, and as many of pepper by a sausage from Lucania, and a sow’s paunch from Falerii by a Syrian flagon of dark mulled wine, and some figs candied in a Libyan jar, accompanied with onions, and shell-fish, and cheese. Justly does Sabellus swell with pride, and think and say that there is no one among the lawyers better off than himself. “The Saturnalia have made Sabellus a rich man. The Roman poet Martial lists some of the gifts a Roman lawyer named ‘Sabellus’ received at Saturnalia from his clients: Donald Judge / / 2013 / CC BY 2.0 Literature and Lore Saturnalia parade in Chester, England, December 2013. The traditions first became part of Twelfth Night, and later, shifted to Christmas. Or, the customs appropriated Christianity, it could also be argued. The gifts could be perishable goods, such as food and drink, or non-perishable goods.īy the middle of the 300s, the Christians had appropriated many of the customs. Gifts were sent by customers and clients to their patrons at Saturnalia. Small dolls made of porcelain or clay were given to children. People would give each other candles ( cerei) as gifts, likely as cheering then as they are now at the darkest time of year. It addition to the fun and freedom, it was also a time of gift-giving. (The exact dates shifted about a bit until Julius Caesar fixed the calendar, creating the “Julian” calendar.)Īugustus made attempts to reduce the holiday period back to three days Caligula tried to reduce it back to five days, but even that didn’t really work. With the feast for his wife Ops, though, falling two days later on 19 December, the two soon blended to become three days, and before you knew it, it was a whole week. It was originally celebrated just one day, to honour Saturn. In our modern Gregorian calendar, the start of the Roman holiday of Saturnalia now falls on 17th December. Unsurprisingly, it also became a time for expressing political satire at plays. Take advantage of the freedoms December allows,Īs our ancestors intended.” - Horace, Satires 2.7.4-5 Saturnalia by Antoine-François Callet / wikimedia / 1783 / CC0 1.0īy tradition, it became as well a period during which you could say what you wanted without fear of punishment. The Roman poet Horace says to his slave:
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