SATURNALIA SUBURA DOMUS TOUR

December at 1.30 PM SLT
Tuesday, 14 Dec 2010 19:58:58 GMT

On 18 December at 1.30 pm SLT come and enjoy our Saturnalia decorations in Subura houses! Senators Zelda Walpole and Ragark Fiertze will lead you through our wonderful Subura and show some of the most beautifully decorated domus of Roma. This is the chance not only to chat and drink some wine together, but also to see houses usually not open to all citizens.

If you would like to show your decorated domus send a notecard to Zelda Walpole before 17th December.
See you around Subura streets! Io Saturnalia!

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DECEMBER FESTIVAL NEWS - SATURNALIA

by the Vestalis Maxima (Angelia Rees)

Our December festival is the Saturnalia - the original Saturnalia was the winter solstice festival in Rome. It involved the conventional sacrifices, a couch set out in front of the temple of Saturn and the untying of the ropes that bound the statue of Saturn during the rest of the year. Besides the public rites there were a series of holidays and customs celebrated privately. A Saturnalicius princeps was elected master of ceremonies for the proceedings.

The celebrations included the making and giving of small presents and a special market. Many of the decorations involved greenery - swathes, garlands, wreaths, etc - being hung over doorways and windows, and ornamenting stairs. Ornaments in the trees included sun symbols, stars, and faces of the God Janus (who looked toward both the past and the future, having two faces). Trees were not brought indoors (the Germans started that tradition), but decorated where they grew.

People were just as likely to be ornamented as the trees. Wearing greenery and jewelry of a sacred nature was common. Gambling was allowed for all, even slaves (however, although it was officially condoned only during this period, one should not assume that it was rare or much remarked on during the rest of the year). It was a time to eat, drink, and be merry. The toga was not worn, but rather colorful, informal "dinner clothes", and the pileus (freedman's hat) was worn by everyone. Slaves were exempt from punishment, and treated their masters with disrespect. The slaves celebrated a banquet: before, with, or served by the masters.

Saturnalia became one of the most popular Roman festivals which led to more role-reversal, marked chiefly by having masters and slaves ostensibly switch places (only symbolically - slaves weren't really free to make a freedman's decisions and anything they did or decreed would reverse at the end of Saturnalia). It was license within careful boundaries - it reversed the social order without subverting it. The customary greeting for the occasion is "Io, Saturnalia!" "Io" being a Latin interjection related to "ho" (as in "Ho, praise to Saturn").

*Festival Schedule*

17th Dec. :

Ave Weekend Party - 12pm (Noon)
Saturnalia Latin Lessons - 1pm

18th Dec. :

Saturnalia Ritual & Tavern Celebration - 10am
Saturnalia Snowman Building Contest - 12pm (Noon)
Subura Domus Deco Walking Tour & Feast- 1:30pm

19th Dec. :

Saturnalia Ice Skating Party - 11am
Saturnalia Sleigh Races - 12pm (Noon)
Legion XIII's Saturnalia Gladius Deathmatch - 1pm
Saturnalia Grand Feast - 4pm
(Grand Feast includes Trivia Contest and Saturnalia Gift Exchange)

For more detailed info on events - see the schedule posted on the blog.

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JANUARY FESTIVAL NEWS

by Vestalis Maxima

The Paganalia, also known as Feriae Sementivae, was a Roman festival of sowing. These festival days were held every year, but not on certain or fixed days, the time being appointed each year by the magistrates or priests. It was held in honor of Ceres (the goddess of agriculture) and Tellus (Mother Earth). The initial half of the event was a festival in honor of Tellus which traditionally ran from January 24 through January 26. The festival honoring Ceres occurred one week later, traditionally starting February 2.

ROMA's Paganalia is a celebration of all cultural pagan rites and ceremonies, and each year we try to perform various rituals from multiple cultures - to expose ROMA's citizens to other forms of pagan religious practice. In addition to this, we also have some purely fun events and our traditional Grand Feast.

***Festival Schedule***

January 23th:

10am - Roman Paganalia Ritual
12pm - Paganalia Fishing Contest
2pm - Greek Paganalia Ritual


January 24th:

10am - Egyptian Horus Ritual
12pm - Cloaca Croc Race
2pm - Native American Powwow Presentation
4pm - Paganalia Grand Feast

For more detailed schedule info, please check the Tabularium in ROMA or the ROMA Citizens Blog @ http://romacitizens.blogspot.com/

Please note: this official schedule may be changed or modified slightly - check the blog for any updates.
** all times are SLT

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DECEMBER FESTIVAL NEWS

by the Vestalis Maxima

Our December festival is the Saturnalia - the original Saturnalia was the winter solstice festival in Rome. It involved the conventional sacrifices, a couch set out in front of the temple of Saturn and the untying of the ropes that bound the statue of Saturn during the rest of the year. Besides the public rites there were a series of holidays and customs celebrated privately. A Saturnalicius princeps was elected master of ceremonies for the proceedings.

The celebrations included the making and giving of small presents and a special market. Many of the decorations involved greenery - swathes, garlands, wreaths, etc - being hung over doorways and windows, and ornamenting stairs. Ornaments in the trees included sun symbols, stars, and faces of the God Janus (who looked toward both the past and the future, having two faces). Trees were not brought indoors (the Germans started that tradition), but decorated where they grew.

People were just as likely to be ornamented as the trees. Wearing greenery and jewelry of a sacred nature was common. Gambling was allowed for all, even slaves (however, although it was officially condoned only during this period, one should not assume that it was rare or much remarked on during the rest of the year). It was a time to eat, drink, and be merry. The toga was not worn, but rather colorful, informal "dinner clothes", and the pileus (freedman's hat) was worn by everyone. Slaves were exempt from punishment, and treated their masters with disrespect. The slaves celebrated a banquet: before, with, or served by the masters.

Saturnalia became one of the most popular Roman festivals which led to more role-reversal, marked chiefly by having masters and slaves ostensibly switch places (only symbolically - slaves weren't really free to make a freedman's decisions and anything they did or decreed would reverse at the end of Saturnalia). It was license within careful boundaries - it reversed the social order without subverting it. The customary greeting for the occasion is "Io, Saturnalia!" "Io" being a Latin interjection related to "ho" (as in "Ho, praise to Saturn").

***Festival Schedule***

19th Dec. :

Saturnalia Ritual & Tavern Celebration - 10am
Saturnalia Skating & Snowball Fights - 12pm (Noon)
Saturnalia Snowman Building Contest- 2pm

20th Dec. :

Subura Domus Deco Walking Tour - 10am
Saturn's Treasure Hunt - 12pm (Noon)
Saturnalia Scavenger Hunt - 2pm
Saturnalia Grand Feast - 4pm

(For more detailed info on events - see the schedule posted in the Tabularium)

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NOVEMBER FESTIVAL LUDI PLEBEII

by Angelia Rees, Vestalis Maxima

Our November festival is the Ludi Plebeii - the original Ludi Plebeii were games instituted in commemoration of the reconciliation between the patricians and plebians after the plebians removed to the Aventine. The central focus of the Ludi was the Feast of Jupiter, on the Ides of November, this date being sacred to Him. In our Ludi Plebeii, we will have 2 days of games and feasting in Jupiter's honour - so please join us for these fun-filled events! There are even chances to win prizes!


***Festival Schedule***

21st Nov. :

The Feast of Jupiter - 10am

ROMA Agitatores Chariot Races - 12pm (Noon)

Palaestra Plebeii- 2pm


22nd Nov. :

Ludi Lectica Race - 10am

Legion XIII Archery Contest - 12pm (Noon)

Thanksgiving Turkey Hunt - 2pm

Jupiter's Grand Feast - 4pm

(For more detailed information on individual events, please click here)

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