Saturn was a god of agriculture who was believed to have ruled over the Golden Age, a simpler and more peaceful time, and Saturnalia was celebrated in this spirit.Īfter the sacrifice, public rituals included a lectisternium, where an image of Saturn would have been placed on a couch and offered food, and a public banquet. Romans who gathered on the temple steps may not have been permitted to enter, but they could witness the sacrifice that heralded the beginning of an extraordinary period of festivities. In December, however, the Temple of Saturn became a symbol of revelry and role reversal. Unlike Christian churches, which are open to everyone, the secrets of the Roman temples remained behind closed doors. Like all pagan temples in Ancient Rome, the interior of the temple was inaccessible to the general public, so ordinary Romans would not have been able to see the remarkable hollow statue of Saturn, which was filled with olive oil. This ancient Roman festival was celebrated from the 17th to the 23rd of December, beginning with a sacrifice in front of the Temple of Saturn in the Forum. It’s particularly impressive at night, and at certain angles it seems almost as tall as the Colosseum itself.īut before tinsel and fairy lights, and before Christ, there was Saturnalia. After your Colosseum group tour, have a look at the Christmas tree when it’s all lit up. Via del Corso is bright with Christmas lights, while Piazza Venezia and the Colosseum try to out-do each other with their gigantic Christmas trees. In the middle of December the streets of Rome’s centro storico are swarming with Christmas shoppers.

Happy saturnalia images