32 min

A Saturnalia Feast! Feasting and Partying during winter, in the Roman World The Delicious Legacy

    • Society & Culture

Io Saturnalia!
Long before Christmas existed and was celebrated...
There was another mid-winter festival...SATURNALIA!
Gaius Valerius Catullus described it as "the best of times"; an extravaganza of food and drink, an inversion of social roles, an expression of one's self through singing gambling...
Originating as a farmers' festival dedicated to Saturn, the Roman god of agriculture and the harvest, it started as one day celebration, usually December 17th, but over centuries evolved to something bigger.
Eventually the Roman dramatist Seneca complained 'December used to be a month- now it's a whole year'
Can you not relate? Every holiday nowadays seems to last, until the next one! Could be month, could be longer, after all, the Christmas tat goes for sale in August these days!
Music by Pavlos Kapralos.
You can find delicious traditional Greek products online for your Christmas table at Maltby and Greek with 15% discount if you put the discount code "delicious" here:
https://www.maltbyandgreek.com/
Happy listening,
Thom & The Delicious Legacy
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-delicious-legacy.
If you love to time-travel through food and history why not join us at https://plus.acast.com/s/the-delicious-legacy.



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Io Saturnalia!
Long before Christmas existed and was celebrated...
There was another mid-winter festival...SATURNALIA!
Gaius Valerius Catullus described it as "the best of times"; an extravaganza of food and drink, an inversion of social roles, an expression of one's self through singing gambling...
Originating as a farmers' festival dedicated to Saturn, the Roman god of agriculture and the harvest, it started as one day celebration, usually December 17th, but over centuries evolved to something bigger.
Eventually the Roman dramatist Seneca complained 'December used to be a month- now it's a whole year'
Can you not relate? Every holiday nowadays seems to last, until the next one! Could be month, could be longer, after all, the Christmas tat goes for sale in August these days!
Music by Pavlos Kapralos.
You can find delicious traditional Greek products online for your Christmas table at Maltby and Greek with 15% discount if you put the discount code "delicious" here:
https://www.maltbyandgreek.com/
Happy listening,
Thom & The Delicious Legacy
Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-delicious-legacy.
If you love to time-travel through food and history why not join us at https://plus.acast.com/s/the-delicious-legacy.



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

32 min

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