The Christian holiday of Christmas, especially, owes many of its traditions to the ancient Roman festival, including the time of year Christmas is celebrated.
It was his mother who introduced him to her ‘understanding’ of Christianity, and changed the day of worship to Sunday. Curiously, Constantine I died in 337, and apparently converted to Christianity on his deathbed without completely understanding the meaning of this new religion. issued the Edict of Milan, a proclamation that permanently established religious toleration for Christianity within the Roman Empire. With Christians hiding in catacombs and the Apostle Paul (Saul) quietly spreading the word of Christ in homes and secret locations, Roman emperors Constantine I and Licinius in February 313 A.D. Would Christianity Have Spread Without the Romans? On the last day of Saturnalia celebrations, known as the Sigillaria, many Romans gave their friends and loved ones small terracotta figurines known as signillaria, which may have referred back to older celebrations involving human sacrifice. PHOTO BY CAROLE RADDATO FROM FRANKFURT, GERMANY, VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS / CC BY-SA 2.0 Wax taper candles called cerei were common gifts during Saturnalia, to signify light returning after the solstice. Instead of working, Romans spent Saturnalia gambling, singing, playing music, feasting, socializing and giving each other gifts.
Even slaves did not have to work during Saturnalia, but were allowed to participate in the festivities in some cases, they sat at the head of the table while their masters served them. People decorated their homes with wreaths and other greenery, and shed their traditional togas in favor of colorful clothes known as synthesis.
Schools and courts of law closed, and the normal social patterns were suspended. (On the Julian calendar, which the Romans used at the time, the winter solstice fell on December 25.) PHOTO BY CAROLE RADDATO FROM FRANKFURT, GERMANY,ĭuring Saturnalia, work and business came to a halt. The pagan celebration of Saturn, the Roman god of agriculture and time, began as a single day, but by the late Republic (133-31 B.C.) it had expanded to a weeklong festival beginning December 17. Saturnalia, the most popular holiday on the ancient Roman calendar, derived from older farming-related rituals of midwinter and the winter solstice, especially the practice of offering gifts or sacrifices to the gods during the winter sowing season. IMAGE COURTESY OF THE YORCK PROJECT, PUBLIC DOMAIN What Is Saturnalia? In Rome, where winters were not as harsh as those in the far north, Saturnalia - a holiday in honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture - was celebrated. Many people rejoiced during the winter solstice, when the worst of the winter was behind them and they could look forward to longer days and extended hours of sunlight. Centuries before the arrival of the man called Jesus, early Europeans celebrated light and birth in the darkest days of winter. The middle of winter has long been a time of celebration around the world.
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