![]() ![]() References to this ancient sacrifice have been spotted in the 1973 film The Wicker Man. Similar origins of the British Lord of Misrule, as a sacrificial king (a temporary king, as Frazer puts it) who was later put to death for the benefit of all, have also been recorded. At the end of that thirty days, his throat was cut on the altar of Saturn. In Durostorum, Roman soldiers would choose a man from among them to be the Lord of Misrule for thirty days. However, according to the anthropologist James Frazer, there was a darker side to the Saturnalia festival. This holiday seems to be the precursor to the more modern holiday. The Lord of Misrule presided over all of this, and had the power to command anyone to do anything during the holiday period. During this time the ordinary rules of life were turned topsy-turvy as masters served their serfs, and the offices of state were held by slaves. In ancient Rome, from the 17th to the 23rd of December, a Lord of Misrule was appointed for the feast of Saturnalia, in the guise of the good god Saturn. While mostly known as a British holiday custom, the appointment of a Lord of Misrule comes from antiquity. The celebration of the Feast of Fools was outlawed in 1555. The Church held a similar festival involving a Boy Bishop. The Lord of Misrule was generally a peasant appointed to be in charge of the revelry, which often included drunkenness and wild partying. When Pope Julius I chose December 25th as the birth date of Jesus, it is believed he chose the date to absorb the dates and traditions of Saturnalia and the birth of Mithra and to reflect the celebrations of the pagan faiths.The Lord of Misrule, known in Scotland as the Abbot of Unreason was an officer appointed at Halloween to preside over the Feast of Fools. For these Romans, Mithra’s birthday was the most sacred day of the year. Pileus, a freeman’s hat was worn by everyone, some customs that would be recognised today.Īlso around the time of Saturnalia, December 25th the upper classes celebrated the birthday of Mithras. The Io pronounced “yo” (The Latin related to “ho” as in “Ho, praise to Saturn”). ![]() It had other traditions, the common greeting was “Io, Saturnalia!”. The most common gift was cerei (wax candles) and as with modern Germany, there were specialist markets called sigillaria. For other Romans, no business was carried out, less formal clothing was worn, it was a school holiday and small gifts were given out, known as ‘saturnalia et sigillaricia’. The slaves were even exempt from any form of punishment. The slaves were permitted to gamble, were treated as equals, worn their master’s clothes and even served upon at meal times. It was a festival where the social order was in affect inverted. The festival was a period of partying, tomfoolery and in the houses a family member would be appointed the Lord of Misrule. Saturnalia was a time for hedonistic festivities. Although both Augustus and Caligula tried to shorten the holiday season, their attempts were unsuccessful. Originally it had been on the one day but due to its popularity, the festivities later continued onto the 23rd December. Saturnalia was officially celebrated on the 17th December. The celebrations were based around the Winter Solstice. Saturn the god of agriculture would have been like the celebration of the Norse in Scandinavia. It is believed to have been introduced initially, as a moral boaster, following a military defeat but soon became the festival for Saturn. It originally took place between 220 to 210BC. The Romans had a public festival known as Saturnalia. Roman soldiers at about the time of Saturnalia ![]()
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