It was said that soldiers who had been stuck on distant outposts guarding the Roman Empire used to stand in the British rain or mists dreaming of the tasty fish relish of home. They brought with them their secret recipes for a pungent, dark, salty fish sauce which they used to flavour their dishes. While the British in pre-Christian times cooked with butter, milk and ale, the Romans used olive oil and wine.
It would have been the equivalent of the 1960s in the UK when most people had a bland diet which did not include ginger, garlic or chilli and they were suddenly introduced to the highly flavoured cuisine of curries and Chinese dishes. And then there were the banquets… In her book Taste: The Story of Britain Through Its Cooking, Kate Colquhon explains how Roman food and dishes would have been such a revelation to the indigenous British people. It was customary to bring berries and greenery into the house as a tribute to Saturn, the god of agriculture, and gifts often took the form of small statuettes or ornaments, which were hung in the greenery – decking the halls with boughs of holly. They quite often swapped clothes with their servants and waited on them, reversing roles even for a brief time.
Pinwell for the poem The Saturnalia by Walter Thornbury, 1863ĭuring this holiday period it was traditional for wealthy people to give their slaves and servants presents and time off. Saturnalia was a hugely popular mid-winter festival which took place over a week between 17 and 23 December.Ībove: The Saturnalia, an Illustration by G. Lots of cultures like to mark the darkest days of winter by bringing families and friends together for feasts, to light fires and banish the cold and the Romans were no exception.
#Saturnalia orgies full#
The Roman calendar is full of festivals and holidays – at least one for every month of the year – and it’s here that we find the early roots of our modern-day Christmas celebrations. Religion was an important aspect of Roman culture but they cunningly made sure that having a good time was built into the worship of their gods. In a tactful gesture to their British neighbours, who had originally built their shrine by the spring and dedicated it to Sulis their goddess of healing, the Romans named their baths The Waters of Sulis, or Aquae Sulis.
In around 70ad the Romans had built a holy temple on the site of the natural hot water springs here in the south west of Britain before building the impressive complex of baths that we’re lucky enough to see today. As the Roman Empire settled down after years of fighting tribes in Britain, Bath was a settlement where the Romans enjoyed peaceful times and were able to celebrate their own culture. And as we prepare for our own Christmases, this does sound familiar.
#Saturnalia orgies how to#
In Monty Python’s Life of Brian, there is a scene when the occupied British people are complaining about their Roman invaders and ask each other “apart from sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, a fresh water system and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?” They might also have added ‘the Christmas spirit’ to that list because there are so many links to the way the ancient Romans celebrated the festival Saturnalia to how we enjoy the Christmas period today.īoy, did those Romans know how to party! Their Saturnalia was a week-long period of over-indulgence where workplaces such as courts shut, people gave each other presents and there was a good deal of debauched behaviour as a result of excess alcohol. Georgette McCready takes a look at the ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia and finds links with modern-day Christmas festivities – although flamingo for a seasonal meal might be taking things a bit far…
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