The Birth of Christian Traditions of Christmas Hence, Saturnalia would be difficult to handle once the Roman Empire declared Christianity as its official religion. Unlike several other Roman festivals, which were specific to the Roman cities themselves, Saturnalia celebrations were held in all territories in the Roman Empire. It is known that August, the first emperor of Rome, also known as Octavian, was especially fond of these gag gifts. Therefore, Romans exchanged more modest gifts, such as pottery or wax figurines called sigillaria made for the day, candles, or “gag gifts”. Romans considered gifts of value at odds with the season’s spirit as such gifts were signs of wealth and social status. The gift exchange was called “ Sigillaria” and took place on 19 December. Slaves were equal to their masters and had a place at the banquet table free speech was embraced, and gambling was permitted.Īnother major part of the Saturnalia, you guessed it, was gift-giving. The celebrations were held from 17 December to 23 and involved a sacrifice at the Temple of Saturn and a public banquet, private gift-giving, and wild parties.ĭuring the Saturnalia, Rome became more egalitarian than ever before. Saturnalia festivities were held to honour the God Saturn and express their gratitude for the bountiful year they’ve had, as Saturn was the god of agriculture. Christmases of Past The Origins of Christmas Presents: Saturnalia and the Ancient RomeĬhristmas celebrations have their roots in the pagan festival “ Saturnalia” in Ancient Rome. Then, we will take a closer look at the relationship between eCommerce and Christmas. So in this article, we will first look into the history of Christmas presents. The reality, however, is quite different. ![]() Still, nevertheless, Christmas presents are thought to be a Christian ritual of some sort. Of course, Christmas has become highly commercialised. How Can an eCommerce Store Get Ready for Christmas?Ĭhristmas is mainly known as a Christian holiday.
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