Io Saturnalia!
While the exact dates of the ancient festival of Saturnalia are under dispute due to the changing of the calendrical system, it was probably around the Winter Solstice. Whatever the exact date might have been, the ancient Romans recognized the entry of the Sun into Capricorn and the rulership of Saturn during the time of the year when the Sun held the least sway, and night was longer. However, it’s interesting that the festival of Saturnalia embodied the contradiction of typical Saturnian values like tradition, restriction, and such, where the slaves ruled the masters, and it was generally a time of excess.
Seneca said of the festival:
“It is now the month of December, when the greatest part of the city is in a bustle. Loose reins are given to public dissipation; everywhere you may hear the sound of great preparations, as if there were some real difference between the days devoted to Saturn and those for transacting business. ... Were you here, I would willingly confer with you as to the plan of our conduct; whether we should eve in our usual way, or, to avoid singularity, both take a better supper and throw off the toga.”
All this jolly ruckus, of course, triggered Romans of a more Saturnian disposition, who despised the chaos and retreated to their chambers or the countryside to escape the cheer. Seems like nothing much has changed in the last few thousand years!
