In the Roman calendar Saturnalia was designated a holy day, or holiday. The name is derived from the god Saturnus, the god of seed and sowing. At the time of the winter solstice (December 25 in the Julian calendar), Saturnus was honored with a festival. It was officially celebrated on December 17 (a.d. XVI Kal. Ian.), in the middle of two other agricultural festivals: the Consualia, which celebrated the opening of the granaries and was named …showed first 75 words of 412 total…

…showed last 75 words of 412 total…the season. Within ones family, a Lord of Misrule was chosen. Slaves were treated equal to others and waited on by their masters at meal times, in remembrance of an earlier golden age thought to have been ushered in by the god. Saturnalia continued to be celebrated as Brumalia down to the Christian era, when, by the middle of the fourth century AD, its rituals had evolved and become absorbed in the celebration of Christmas.