First day of Saturnalia, the festival dedicated to Saturn, carnival-style. In this anniversary we exchanged Christmas cards and gifts (hence the origin of the exchange of gifts in the Christian Christmas) that could also consist of only simple cakes and sweets, dolls and pottery.
holiday was 17 to 23 December, everything was allowed in the Saturnalia, the game was legalized gambling, the roles are overturned and the masters served their slaves. To this Cicero, but not to serve his servitude, he preferred to retire to his country estate for the entire holiday period.
He was even elected a king, the Princeps Saturnalicius, Prince allegory to emphasize the unique and surreal atmosphere of Saturnalia.
On day 17, after a solemn feast in the temple of Saturn, could be declared open on public holidays.
Greetings, I Saturn!
like at the Saturnalia
The Saturnalia were celebrated in December, the last month of the year and were officially announced on December 17 . The first day was the procession to the temple of Saturn in the Forum site at the foot of the Capitol and made the solemn altar sacrifice which we witnessed bare-headed and in which dissolved the bandages that wrapped wool feet of the statue of Saturn, Saturn remained unattached to fulfill his duties as founder of a new era to the end year, the renewal of the annual cycle, the statue was again tied and his representative, the Rex Saturnaliorum, was symbolically killed. followed the lettisternio (from Lat. Lectus, "bed" and system, "spread" - the ancient religious ceremony Rome was to offer a feast to the gods whose statues had been ordered to lie on a bed around a table loaded with all sorts, the lectistemium was celebrated in honor of Zeus and the Twelve Gods at both solemn feasts religious disasters. The public banquet, where all the defendants exchanged toasts and good wishes in the candlelight, was prepared by Epulon-nes, members of four major corporations who then ate the fine food offered to the gods . The faithful were awake all night and wait to greet the birth of the sun again. All paid state. In the Archaic period the festival was held in this one day after the duration of the celebration was extended to three days of Caesar Augustus by four, five by Caligula, and finally to seven by Domitian. Since the Republican the Saturnalia were celebrated in Rome, assuming greater importance in the imperialist epoch, spreading rapidly throughout the peninsula. During Saturnalia the courts and schools were closed: it was forbidden to initiate or participate in wars, and establish capital punishment, however, engage in any activity that was not a celebration. For most people, carrying out agricultural work, the Saturnalia announced a long period of rest while awaiting the spring. As we can see, many of the customs of the Saturnalia were kept up to date and characterize the way we celebrate Christmas: the lights turn on ( first candle, electrical today), the banquet, the exchange of gifts, religious celebration , gift candles, dates, walnuts and sweet foods like honey, make toasts and good wishes, the closure of schools, the long party.
The Roman Saturnalia took connotations over time and licentious orgies, carousing and copious related to gluttony.
The category of the carnival, whose origins go back to their feast of Saturnalia, a metaphor is, by definition, a crazy and happy offense, with multiple implications, all attributable to the disruption of social roles.
Saturn the God peasant ... another legend, the god Saturn was banished from Olympus by Zeus and fled in the Lazio region, on Capitol Hill, where Rome was later to sort. Saturn, the God-errant, who became king of Latium, those happy start to the golden age: he taught men to cultivate the fields and to appreciate the gifts of civilization. The symbol is represented by which is sickle, the tool of the reaper. The Romans linked Saturn abundance and wealth, and every year, December 17 to 23, they celebrated the Saturnalia on its behalf. The celebrations coincided with the winter solstice, when the days start getting longer and nights grow shorter, as if to foreshadow the forthcoming spring. During the celebration of Saturnalia was lit on fire on the altar of Saturn (the fire symbolizing the Sun), is made sacrifices in his honor and everyone brought their offerings. During the Saturnalia you stop fighting, you stop executions of death sentences, the slaves could sit at the table and masters served them: it was a happy return to the Golden Age of Saturn, which had led men to the age where everyone was equal, free and happy. And yet during the Saturnalia, were loose the ties that bind all year for the god's statue to its pedestal, to prevent him from leaving the city, taking away the prosperity and abundance. (Source: http://www.coloniaiuliafanestris.com/riti/i-saturnali/ )
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