Saturnalia , Traditional meal

[Arminius Primus]

Ave Fratres,

Best wishes to all and a pleasant celebration of the Saturnalia, and the Birthday of Sol Invictus as well as the other celebrations at this time of year. Just wish to add that the discussions here on RAT helped me to get through a trying year.

Was wondering if there was a traditional meal associated with these festivities, sort of like our Christmas Goose or Turkey? Did a quick search but found mainly holiday greetings. Also wondered about how the army celebrated this time of year? They should be in winter quarters but duty goes on ....probably no unit traditions of the junior officers taking on some of the guard duties to allow the troops to be with family and friends and the senior NCOs doing the same for the officers for the New Years celebration. Any ideas on this?

Best of the Holidays to all from a cold and snowy Balkans, (Slightly warmer now but still bad in the mountains)

Arminius Primus aka Al

[D B Campbell]

Was wondering if there was a traditional meal associated with these festivities, sort of like our Christmas Goose or Turkey?

The so-called cena Trimalchionis ("Trimalchio's feast") from Petronius' Satyricon is a Saturnalia feast. (At one point, one of the guests gives the traditional cry, Io Saturnalia!) The food seems to consist of ridiculously exaggerated dishes: e.g., each diner gets "a fat capon ... as well as goose-eggs in pastry hoods" (Penguin trans.), "pastry thrushes stuffed with raisins and nuts", a dish resembling "a fat goose surrounded by fish ... the chef made it all from pork", ...

Also wondered about how the army celebrated this time of year?

Unfortunately, the last section (roughly a quarter) of the feriale Duranum (the festival calendar from Dura Europus) is missing.

(Greetings from a surprisingly cold and snowy Glasgow.)

[M. Demetrius]

Unfortunately, the last section (roughly a quarter) of the feriale Duranum (the festival calendar from Dura Europus) is missing.

Sigh. :? wink: