In today’s instalment of 12 Days of an Adventures with Sarah Christmas, we’re looking back at the origins of Christmas and the traditions we follow today. No, not to the birth of Jesus and rise of Christianity, but much further back, to the winter solstice celebrations and the ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia.
The winter solstice is on December 21 each year, which is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. After the solstice, days start getting longer and spring starts to be on the horizon. In ancient times this was very important, both symbolically and practically. The day marked the midpoint of winter, a time when livestock would be slaughtered to see people through the rest of the cold weather and preparations for sowing new crops could start.
Symbolically, the solstice represented the rebirth of the sun. There are multiple examples from different places and time periods of how important this was to all sorts of groups of ancient people. Evidence of festivals, rituals and ceremonies commemorating the winter solstice have been found in places as varied as Scandinavia, India, Iran, England and Ancient Rome. In fact, some historians believe that the prehistoric structure at Stonehenge is aligned to the winter solstice sunset, which is around 5000 years old!
In the calendar of Ancient Rome, the winter solstice fell on December 25, and this day was held to be the birth day of the new sun. The solstice coincided with the festival of the Saturnalia, which was focused on the god Saturn. Saturn was closely linked with agriculture and particularly seed-growing, tying his festival into the expectations for a good harvest in the new year.
In Rome people would celebrate by exchanging gifts, playing games and attending huge feasts. The social hierarchy was relaxed, so slaves could gamble and drink alcohol and the formal dress of the upper class was put aside for more comfortable options. Originally only one day of festivities, eventually it became a 7 day festival endorsed by the emperors.
Many of the traditions we now associate with Christmas have their origins in this ancient Roman festival and the winter solstice. Taking time off work, spending time with family, giving gifts and enjoying large meals based around meat were as popular then as today, so it’s no wonder that these became so closely associated with Christmas!
We hope you’ve enjoyed this insight into the ancient origins of Christmas – don’t miss tomorrow’s instalment where we delve further into the traditions of the Adventures with Sarah team.
If you’ve missed any of the other posts, catch up on all the previous days of our 12 Days of an Adventures with Sarah Christmas here.
