Saturnalia Celebration

Come join the Mount Holyoke Classics Society for our biggest event of the year: Saturnalia! Saturnalia is an Ancient Roman pagan holiday in celebration of the god Saturn, especially for his role as the god of abundance and agriculture. This holiday was celebrated in mid-December near the winter solstice, typically from December 17th to the 23rd. Many of the traditions of Saturnalia, such as feasting, gift-giving, and decorations such as wreaths and candles have been adopted into Christmas traditions, and Saturnalia is still celebrated by pagans in the present day (please note however, our event will not be a religious one).

The event will be held on December 8th from 6PM-9PM in the New York Room (located upstairs in Mary Woolley Hall) and is open to students and faculty. Food and drink will be provided for our Saturnalia feast, including snack platters from the Holyoke Hummus Company, baklava, and grape juice. We will have various activities as well, including felt hat making (known as a pileus, which represented freedom given to former slaves and was often worn during Saturnalia), card games (gambling was also a big part of Saturnalia, but we will be using chocolate coins!), the choosing of a "Lord of Mischief" (a person chosen to create mischief and chaos during the Saturnalia celebration known as the Saturnalicius princeps) and other fun activities.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. We hope to see you there! Io, Saturnalia!

*PLEASE REGISTER IF YOU ARE COMING*

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