Once inside, a person was selected randomly, more or less, to be something called the Saturnalicius Princeps, which you can translate as the King of Saturnalia.
It was also customary, after the sun went down, to host parties, continuing the festivities. On Saturnalia, it was customary to loudly greet friends, strangers, and passers by, with the call and response "Io, Saturnalia".
YULE SATURNALIA FULL
People took full advantage of this, and many party-goers stayed out all night. Rome's streets were normally dark and dangerous to navigate at night, but today it was lined with decorative candles and torches. Like everything else, the games were supposed to continue the theme of upending the social order.įor example, they sometimes featured women or dwarf gladiators. Then, with Saturn lazily overseeing the whole thing, there was a massive feast, and the wine began to flow.Īfter the feast, there was usually some gladiatorial games, where all of the different classes co-mingled and rubbed elbows. The Senators placed the statue on a large reclining sofa that had been set aside for it. The crowd followed.Īfter a time, they arrived at an outdoor banquet area. Senators picked up this statue, and carried it down to the forum.
Somewhere nearby, there was another statue of Saturn, this one made of wood, carved specifically for this festival. With the festival officially underway, a priest performed a sacrifice before the crowd.Īfter this, members of the Roman Senate came forward. To begin the festivities, a large crowd gathered at the Temple to Saturn, on the Capitoline Hill. They went to all of this trouble because during this festival, the strict formality of the class system was temporarily thrown out the window. Similarly, everybody, from citizen to freedman to slave was supposed to wear a special leather cap, pileus, that was normally worn by freed slaves to denote their status. This included Senators, and magistrates, and candidates for office, men who normally wore specialized togas proudly displaying their status. Take time to celebrate Yule in simple ways such as a family meal, a walk in the woods or just sharing what you are thankful for with your family and friends.įoods: Cookies, caraway, dried fruits and nuts, pork dishes, eggnog, ginger tea, spiced cider and wassail.On the first day of Saturnalia, everything in Rome shut down, and people were expected to forgo their normal attire and instead wear plain, simple tunics. Yule is a good time to set intentions that align with peace, love, harmony and increased happiness. The traditional holiday season can be hectic and stressful for families. As such candlelight and fire plays an important theme in Yule celebrations. This idea of bringing light into a dark world would emerge as theme in Christianity, where Jesus as the bringer of light.
The days following would gradually grow longer and lighter as the Sun King journeyed across the sky. In Pagan myth Yule marks the journey of the Sun King to bring light into the world.
0 kommentar(er)
