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Io Saturnalia was the official salutation of the festival, often used after singing or joke-telling.

Drunkenness and other self-indulgent behaviors became the norm. Individuals spent the day drinking, gambling (normally discouraged in Rome’s strict society), singing, and feasting. Households elected a “King of the Saturnalia” (also known the Lord of Misrule in modern times) who was tasked with causing mischief and creating chaos, usually by yelling commands that other partygoers had to obey. Role reversal was a common theme for instance, slaves were typically served dinner before their masters, and may have even been served by the masters themselves. The courts of law closed, and social norms were flipped upside down. Traditionally, Saturnalia was a day when all work came to halt. Saturnalia-and the time of the Winter Solstice-is a celebration of both sides of Saturn: the discipline and grueling work that we have completed throughout the year (especially relevant for an agricultural society like Ancient Rome, yet still meaningful today), rewarded with a period of rest and merrymaking.īecause indeed, that is exactly what Saturnalia is about: merrymaking.

#Lo saturnalia how to

He taught the people about agriculture and how to save their money, so they might never experience hunger or poverty again-the payout of discipline and restraint. To the Ancient Romans, Saturn was also an agricultural god and the ruler of a great Golden Age, a time of abundance and perfect peace. But there is much more to Saturn than this narrative! Those of you who are interested in astrology may know Saturn (the planet) as the Greater Malefic, and indeed he is associated with harsh lessons such as limitations, karma, structure, discipline, and sometimes decay or destruction. Saturnalia was an ancient Roman festival held on December 17th in honor of the god Saturn. Saturn knows how delicious it is to reap when you’ve sown so well.Yule may be the most well-known pagan celebration of the Winter Solstice, but it is certainly not the only one-nor is it the only one that lent several of its traditions to Christmas (because yes, many of our modern-day Christmas traditions have pagan roots). Especially for them, the quality of their celebration was equal in grandeur to the bounty of harvest…which Saturn well knows. I’m not saying it’s not hard! In fact, it’s hard to the point of the ancients saying “eff it” to all their rules, laws, and “civility” in order to cut loose and CELEBRATE at the completion of this cycle. What it really is, is the sacred cycle of sowing and reaping and we must accept that the harvest will be equal to how well we have followed Saturn’s rules of time, effort, responsibility, consistency, quality, integrity, and problem solving.

So where Saturn is in our natal charts or where is transiting, we often experience what feels like restriction. The quality of the harvest is dependent on all those things. In this spectrum of sowing and reaping, we are kept in check by time, effort, responsibility, consistency, quality of work, integrity, and problem solving. In ancient Rome, Saturn was the god of harvest, of sowing and reaping. It is here that we can uncover some of astrology Saturn’s true, and often forgotten nature. In astrology, Saturn is often viewed as a restrictive, cold-hearted jerk of a planet, so why would his Roman god representative be celebrated in such a way that… well… seems astrology Saturn would view as “irresponsible?”

#Lo saturnalia free

Slaves wore the hats of the free and all ate and drank until they couldn’t stand, in a Mardi Gras festive atmosphere, complete with animal and at least one human sacrifice to the gods. All work, commerce, and warfare were cancelled. Historically, this is the earliest example we have of gift giving at this time of year and is one of the many pagan ancestors of Christmas as we now know it.ĭuring Saturnalia, the world was turned upside down.

#Lo saturnalia full

Lo Saturnalia! In ancient Rome, the wild, naughty street festival of Saturnalia was a lavish harvest holiday, at one point lasting a full week, marked by December 17.