Happy Saturnalia! December 17 marked the beginning of Saturnalia, one of the most popular festivals in Ancient Rome. The midwinter celebrations lasted for several days (the number changed through the Roman era), and it was a time of feasting, partying, playing games, gift-giving and role-reversal. It was the merriest festival of the year, and all… Continue reading Io, Saturnalia!
As mentioned in a previous post (see here), I organised a small banquet at home on the occasion of the Saturnalia festival. I love ancient Roman food, and I tried a few more ancient recipes for this banquet. Once again, everything was delicious! For the appetiser (gustatio), I chose to bake Mustacei must (grape juice)… Continue reading A taste of Ancient Rome – A Saturnalia feast
Happy Saturnalia to all! Today, December 17, marks the beginning of the Saturnalia, a festival held in honour of Saturn that lasted for between 3 and 7 days. It originated as a farmer’s festival to mark the end of the autumn planting season in honour of Saturnus and despite Livy's claim that the festival was… Continue reading Io, Saturnalia!
