> saturnalia is an ancient roman festival and holiday in honour of the god saturn, held on 17 december in the julian calendar and later expanded with festivities until 19 december. by the 1st century bc, the celebration had been extended until 23 december, for a total of seven days of festivities. the holiday was celebrated with a sacrifice at the temple of saturn, in the roman forum, and a public banquet, followed by private gift-giving, continual partying, and a carnival atmosphere that overturned roman social norms: gambling was permitted, and masters provided table service for their slaves as it was seen as a time of liberty for both slaves and freedmen alike. a common custom was the election of a "king of the saturnalia", who gave orders to people, which were followed and presided over the merrymaking. the gifts exchanged were usually gag gifts or small figurines made of wax or pottery known as sigillaria. the poet catullus called it "the best of days" > "the first inhabitants of italy were the aborigines, whose king, saturnus, is said to have been a man of such extraordinary justice, that no one was a slave in his reign, or had any private property, but all things were common to all, and undivided, as one estate for the use of every one; in memory of which way of life, it has been ordered that at the saturnalia slaves should everywhere sit down with their masters at the entertainments, the rank of all being made equal." - justinus, epitome of pompeius trogus 43.3
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