The people of Louisiana get about one week of rest following the Christmas and New Year holidays before we are thrust into the throws of the Carnival season. Starting Jan. 6, Twelfth Night or the Epiphany, and lasting until Mardi Gras Day (which varies depending on when Easter lands on the calendar) we are filled with revelry and king cake.
But, if you’re like me, the idea of celebrating each year isn’t enough. The question I ask is why?
With my birthday falling at the end of February, I have often celebrated surrounded by fellow New Orleanians on St. Charles Avenue while holding a sign that said, “It’s my birthday, throw me something, mister!” But little did 7-year-old me know that the celebration that is had throughout the city stems from practices that originated thousands of years ago called Saturnalia.
What is Saturnalia?
Saturnalia was one of the most popular festivals put on by the Romans. The week-long celebration was a pagan celebration that honored the Roman god Saturn. Saturn was the god of agriculture and time and the festivities followed farming-related rituals ahead of the winter solstice. The festival was originally a single-day affair, every Dec. 17, but later extended to end on the winter solstice, which at the time was Dec. 25 according to the Julian calendar. The Romans took Saturnalia very seriously, cancelling work and school, having all normal activity seemingly come to a halt. Homes were decorated, traditional clothing was replaced with colorful garments, gifts of wax taper candles were given, slaves were given time off to participate in the revelry, which included gambling, singing, playing music and more. The activities were lively, loud and it was called “the best of times” by the Roman poet Catullus according to History.com.
The Road to Carnival
While the Romans added a multitude of things that still impact the world today, the spread of the Roman Empire – across Europe especially – included festivals, holidays and pagan celebrations. Saturnalia was one of the practices that stuck and heavily influenced other holidays, like the eventual celebration of Christmas on Dec. 25. While the Bible does not actually mention a specific birth date for Jesus, it was around the 4th century that Christians began recognizing the specific day in winter for his birth to incorporate into the already planned Saturnalia events. Another date that was also recognized by some Christians as the birth of Christ was Jan. 6. While Dec. 25 heavily prevailed (note: some Eastern Orthodox areas actually still celebrate Christmas on Jan. 6), Jan. 6 was marked as the Epiphany, the day Jesus was introduced to the world through the magi (or Three Kings).
As Christianity continued to evolve and feast days were marked for important events, the Middle Ages brought the practice of the Feast of Fools. Much like Saturnalia, and celebrated around the Christmas and New Years holiday times, the Feast of Fools was a time in which society flipped. Those of different classes switched, merriment was had, criticism of the church was allowed and a mock bishop or “King of Fools” was elected. (According to the St. Tammany Library, this was typically a child who was then in charge of the day’s festivities and disorder, while the bishop then took his place among the revelers.) While this specific practice died out in the 17th century, the want of celebration before the sacred Lenten season did not.
Lent is a 40-day season of reflection, self-discipline, prayer and fasting that occurs before Easter and begins on Ash Wednesday.
While the full history is debated among many, Mardi Gras (or “Fat Tuesday”) was eventually implemented as a day of indulgence before the fasting. Some say it was in direct retaliation against the church, others say it was a way to celebrate before period of reflection. It seems though, it wasn’t until the practice made its way to America that the entire season of Carnival was implemented and eventually evolved into what it is today.
While this is a brief historical summary, I encourage you to do your own research into this fascinating topic and beloved holiday season. For those looking at even more information on the evolution from Saturnalia to what Carnival is today, stay tuned to the “Beyond the Beads” podcast this season to hear Carnival historian Errol Laborde give us all a history lesson, starting with the celebration of the winter solstice and ending on the streets of New Orleans.
