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capri0mni(Some thoughts, also a GIP; a Roman partner to my "Glad Yule" icon... you like?)
I realized, this morning, that next Wednesday is the start of Saturnalia (December 17-23). Yayness!
So I started arguing, in my head, with the generic, Staunch Fundamentalist Christian who uses "Saturnalia" as synechdoche for all he fears about pagan celebrations: blood sacrifice, debauchery, lust and gluttony. What follows is what I said to this imaginary Christian, interupting his rant about how modern Christmas is "too Pagan-- too much like Saturnalia":
This is what I learned about Saturnalia during my time studying Latin in high school:
Saturn was the ruling god during Man's Golden Age, when there were no wars, and no slavery, and all people lived as equals. He taught humans how do agriculture, and under him, humans prospered. But he had a dark side: he stayed a god for so long by eating his own children. Gaia, the children's mother, was rather pissed about this, and whisked her youngest baby, Jove, away to a hiding place, where he was allowed to grow up, and eventually he killed his father, Saturn.
Jove was a powerful god, and a skilled god, but he was also a warlike god, and under his rule, humans came to create war, and social classes, and slavery, and poverty.
For most of the year, Saturn's statue in front of his temple was wrapped in chains, to symbolise how his power was taken away by Jove. But every year, a few days before the winter solstice, he returns to Earth, to visit with the people once again, and in honor of his visit, the chains are removed, and the people did their best to live up to the way the world had been during the Golden Age: wars were put on hold, slaves became equal to their masters (at least, in theory), the toga (which was actually a piece of formal wear meant to advertise your social rank) was not worn. People gave gifts to each other, gambling was condoned. Trees were brought into the house and decorated with children's toys.
You know: "Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men."
And even though the slaves were not really equal, and the soldiers were all ready to start the wars up again, as soon as the festivals were over, people allowed themselves to imagine the world as a place where peace and justice reigned.
And I think that, in itself, is a valuable thing to do, on a regular, recurring basis, whether it's once a year, once a month, or once a week -- just to remind ourselves that envisioning the world with a different status quo will not cause everything to fall to pieces. Lift the social order, relax the laws, let people be just a little bit more equal (and maybe more equal than that, next year), and (most) people will not lunge for each other's throats, or kick the dogs, or bite the babies. Because (most) people are basically good, and want to be happy and generous with each other.
That's a good thing to remember, and a good thing to celebrate, so:
Io,
Saturnalia!
I realized, this morning, that next Wednesday is the start of Saturnalia (December 17-23). Yayness!
So I started arguing, in my head, with the generic, Staunch Fundamentalist Christian who uses "Saturnalia" as synechdoche for all he fears about pagan celebrations: blood sacrifice, debauchery, lust and gluttony. What follows is what I said to this imaginary Christian, interupting his rant about how modern Christmas is "too Pagan-- too much like Saturnalia":
This is what I learned about Saturnalia during my time studying Latin in high school:
Saturn was the ruling god during Man's Golden Age, when there were no wars, and no slavery, and all people lived as equals. He taught humans how do agriculture, and under him, humans prospered. But he had a dark side: he stayed a god for so long by eating his own children. Gaia, the children's mother, was rather pissed about this, and whisked her youngest baby, Jove, away to a hiding place, where he was allowed to grow up, and eventually he killed his father, Saturn.
Jove was a powerful god, and a skilled god, but he was also a warlike god, and under his rule, humans came to create war, and social classes, and slavery, and poverty.
For most of the year, Saturn's statue in front of his temple was wrapped in chains, to symbolise how his power was taken away by Jove. But every year, a few days before the winter solstice, he returns to Earth, to visit with the people once again, and in honor of his visit, the chains are removed, and the people did their best to live up to the way the world had been during the Golden Age: wars were put on hold, slaves became equal to their masters (at least, in theory), the toga (which was actually a piece of formal wear meant to advertise your social rank) was not worn. People gave gifts to each other, gambling was condoned. Trees were brought into the house and decorated with children's toys.
You know: "Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men."
And even though the slaves were not really equal, and the soldiers were all ready to start the wars up again, as soon as the festivals were over, people allowed themselves to imagine the world as a place where peace and justice reigned.
And I think that, in itself, is a valuable thing to do, on a regular, recurring basis, whether it's once a year, once a month, or once a week -- just to remind ourselves that envisioning the world with a different status quo will not cause everything to fall to pieces. Lift the social order, relax the laws, let people be just a little bit more equal (and maybe more equal than that, next year), and (most) people will not lunge for each other's throats, or kick the dogs, or bite the babies. Because (most) people are basically good, and want to be happy and generous with each other.
That's a good thing to remember, and a good thing to celebrate, so:
Saturnalia!
