By Francesca Romana Valente
Summary Notes
Many of the holidays we celebrate today have their roots in ancient pagan festivals, such as Saturnalia, New Year's, Easter, Halloween, and Labor Day. Epiphany is celebrated with cakes and chalked house doors, and the Befana, a witchy old woman, is part of Italian folklore. Saint John's Eve is celebrated on June 24th with bonfires and offerings to Fortuna, the goddess of luck, showing that many ancient Roman traditions are still alive today.
Key Learnings
- Epiphany is celebrated with cakes and chalked house doors, and the Befana is part of Italian folklore.
- Saint John's Eve is celebrated on June 24th with bonfires and offerings to Fortuna, the goddess of luck.
- The Romans celebrated Halloween with honoring the goddess Anna Perenna with meals and wine, and couples making love by the river.
- Labor Day has its roots in ancient festivals.
- Summary Notes
- Key Learnings
- Ancient Pagan Festivals to Modern Holidays
- Celebrating Saturnalia, New Year's, Easter & Roman Halloween
- Ancient Festivals Celebrated Worldwide
- Celebrating Saint John's Eve – Ancient Roman Traditions Still Alive
Ancient Pagan Festivals to Modern Holidays
Christmas, New Year's Day and other holidays we celebrate today have their origins in ancient pagan festivals. The Church replaced these pagan celebrations with Christian ones, but the calendar dates remained the same. On December 25th, an ancient Roman would have celebrated the Unconquered Sun God. It was the start of winter and the victory of light.
“But for the many Romans who remained faithfully devoted to Jupiter and his mythological crew, the transition to the new monotheistic religion was anything but easy.”
Many ancient Romans found it difficult to accept a new monotheistic religion due to their strong devotion to the old pagan gods.
Celebrating Saturnalia, New Year's, Easter & Roman Halloween
The Romans celebrated Saturnalia (Dec 17-25), New Year's (Jan 1) & Easter (a Christian holiday with pagan roots) as well as the Roman version of Halloween, honoring the goddess Anna Perenna with meals and wine, and couples making love by the river.
“The emperor Aurelianus built a big temple for the Sun God in Rome and inaugurated it right on December 25th, 274 AD.”
Emperor Aurelianus was responsible for establishing the date of December 25th for the celebration of Sol Invictus, the Unconquered Sun. This is why we celebrate Christmas on this date today.
Ancient Festivals Celebrated Worldwide
Halloween and Labor Day, both of which have origins in ancient festivals, are celebrated worldwide. Epiphany is celebrated with cakes and chalked house doors, and the Befana, a witchy old woman, is a part of Italian folklore believed to have originated from Roman traditions involving the moon goddess Diana.
“The Romans would drink a lot of wine, since it was believed that each cup would lengthen their life by one full year.”
The Romans believed that toasting and drinking wine could be beneficial to their health and well-being.
Celebrating Saint John's Eve – Ancient Roman Traditions Still Alive
Saint John's Eve is celebrated on June 24th, with traditional dishes, bonfires, and herbs to ward off evil spirits. The Romans celebrated this date with bonfires and offerings to Fortuna, the goddess of luck. This shows that many ancient Roman traditions are still celebrated today.
"The word “Easter” itself comes from the name of Eostre, the Germanic goddess of Spring."
Easter is closely connected to Germanic pagan traditions and the goddess Eostre.