Word: saturnalia
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...after the birth of Christ. It was to steer the energies of the celebrants into more pious channels-so says Francis X. Weiser, S.J., in The Christmas Book that the church in the 4th century picked, as Christmas Day, exactly the date that signaled the end of the Roman Saturnalia. The origin of the celebrations at least raises the question of which came first, seasonal malaise or the celebrations? Could it be that the rituals cure far more gloom than they precipitate? Surely such issues should not be abdicated entirely to social pathologists...
According to many of the hedonists present at the Saturnalia, few opportunities remain for Harvard students to experience the joys of Toga. "This is going to be the fastest-dying trend in the history of Harvard," one soothsayer predicted. "The logistics are all wrong. Toga fans are epicureans and walking six blocks in nothing but a sheet just doesn't cut much mustard in those circles...
Presiding over the play is the clown Feste, whose name doubtless came from the mock-king fest us who ruled over the old Twelfth Night saturnalia. Feste was assigned the four major songs, since Shakespeare's acting company had recently acquired in Robert Armin a gifted singer to succeed the clown Will Kempe. The current Feste is Mark Lamos, who not only has a fine voice but also plucks his own theorbo in the charming songs composed by John Morris. Freedman has also given Feste four additional singers. In the setting of "O Mistress Mine," for instance, with its lovely...
...Wednesday is a movable fast, and in 1978 it arrives early, on Feb. 8. So Münchner decided to extend the saturnalia into Lent. Churchmen were outraged. The office of the Archbishop of Munich protested that while the church appreciated "the joy of living" expressed in Fasching, it considered the prolongation "totally objectionable." Fumed one priest: "Ash Wednesday is a religious symbol that needs to be preserved even if it hurts business." So much for symbolism. Munich's Fasching organizers canceled masquerades after Ash Wednesday. But other balls and celebrations will go on until March 5, just three...
Early Christians were persecuted for meeting to worship, so by shifting the observance of Christ's birthday to the end of December to coincide with the Roman Saturnalia festivals they could mask their reason for celebrating...