Lucy Samuel explores the ancient roots of Christmas
As we enter winter and approach Christmas 2024, it’s easy to forget how significant this season has been for thousands of years. Today, billions of people celebrate Christmas in December, but this wasn’t always the case. Before the rise of Christianity, many early cultures celebrated winter as a time of hope and renewal. From Greece to Rome, the traditions of the ancient world are fascinating to investigate as Christmas comes once more!
Greece: The Rural Dionysia
The Rural Dionysia was an Ancient Greek festival celebrating Dionysus, the god of wine, theatre, and fertility. Unlike the grand City Dionysia held every spring in Athens, the Rural Dionysia was a smaller festival held in the countryside around December. Because of the changing weather and poor sailing conditions, foreign visitors were unlikely. As a result, the Rural Dionysia was only held for locals, reinforcing community pride and traditions.
We don’t know the exact events of the Rural Dionysia, but it’s clear that music and entertainment were central to the festival. While there were no extensive playwriting contests, the Rural Dionysia likely included small performances organised by the community (perhaps resembling modern-day pantomimes)!
The celebration of wine and agriculture was also essential in the festival, with a procession featuring local winegrowers and farmers. Participants carried phallic symbols and statues of Dionysus through the countryside, followed by young women with baskets of grapes, bread, and other harvest produce. This kind of procession would certainly have been accompanied by hymns and dances to honour Dionysus, hoping for fertility and a fruitful farming season. The Ancient Greeks took great pride in supporting their local farmers and community, celebrating their homeland and traditions during the festive season.
Rome: The Saturnalia
In Roman mythology, Saturn was the god of time, wealth and agriculture (counterpart to the Greek titan Cronus). Saturn’s reign on earth was believed to be a ‘Golden Age’ of peace and prosperity where both mankind and the gods lived in harmony. The Saturnalia was, therefore, both agriculturally significant since it marked the end of winter sowing, and religiously significant as the Romans hoped for the return of a Golden Age on earth. The Saturnalia remained popular up until the fourth century AD when it was incorporated into the Christian celebration of Christmas.
Due to a lack of historical records, the events of the Saturnalia are largely a mystery. However, we know it lasted for approximately one week, in which time all businesses were closed so that everyone could participate in the celebrations. The first day likely involved an extravagant sacrifice to the gods, followed by music, games, and delicious food – much like modern-day Christmas (without the sacrifice, of course)!
A seventeenth-century copy of a fourth-century Roman calendar was found and translated by classicists to reveal some insights about the Saturnalia. The calendar page showed the month of December, and a small inscription read:
“Behold winter nourishes the seed thrown each year into the ploughed earth; all is wet with rain sent from Jupiter. Now let December call once more the golden festival for Saturn. Now you, slave, are allowed to play with your master.”
This fantastic piece of historical evidence captures the essence of the festival, describing both its meaning and the temporary freedom from restricted social order. The Saturnalia was one of the few festivals celebrated by all members of society – slaves were allowed to feast with their masters, and everyone, regardless of status, could participate in the fun. In 2024, we may be far removed from ancient customs and ideas, but the attitudes of togetherness and kindness that characterised the Saturnalia continue to define our holiday season. From the Rural Dionysia in Greece to the Saturnalia in Rome, these ancient celebrations were centred around community, renewal, and equality—values that remain meaningful to us today.
