Relevant Rome

  When struck by the itch of curiosity, many people have done an internet search to find out why Christians celebrate Christmas on December 25th. One of the main results will tell you it was because the Christians wanted to replace the Saturnalia, a pagan holiday, with a Christian one. Therefore, Christmas is celebrated on December 25th. While there are other theories about the reasoning behind Christmas being December 25th, the idea that it was placed there to replace the Saturnalia is one that can’t be ignored.  This is all well and good, but… What was the Saturnalia?? The first recorded mention of the Saturnalia is on the “Calendar of Numa” which is dated to sometime during the 6th century B.C. The Saturnalia itself was listed among the Roman civic festivals, which were celebrated by all Roman people. The civic festivals were all annual events and each was celebrated in specific ways. The Saturnalia lasted for 7 days. It began December 17 and ended December 23. It began with sacrifi