Sunday, December 17, 2023

 

Greetings all,

Today, December 17th is the beginning of the ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia which runs until December 23:


This was a time of celebration, feasting and the giving of candle gifts to celebrate the returning of longer light after the Winter Solstice.

It seems uncertain how late Saturnalia continued to be publicly celebrated in Byzantium, but it was certainly present in the time of Constantine and his successors through Justinian I. No doubt it was increasingly subsumed by festival days for Saints, and of course Christmas! Even so this festival from before the Republic would have been remembered throughout Byzantine history.

-Marcus Cassius Julianus
 
 
 

 

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