by Horatius Piscinus on Wed Dec 18, 2002 5:21 am
Salva sis Allegra
Over the past three years, since I first ventured onto the net, I have been asked all kinds of questions about Saturnalia. How to celebrate Saturnalia and still retain what you remember of Christmas as children? How to deal with your own children today? So allow me to assume some of your questions and offer a little from my experience.
How to deal with children in your new found faith in the Religio Romana? Have fun. What else is this season about? Friends visiting, baking, decorating, dancing, singing, gift giving, story telling. Including children in all that just makes it all the more fun.
With my own sons I began Saturnalia by telling them to leave their shoes outside the front door on the night of 16 Dec. Beethovan's Birthday, Saturnalia Eve. The next day they would find candy stuffed in their shoes, left by Fata Da Brutta. As a child I did not have a Santa Claus, instead we had Fata Da Brutta. Fata Da Brutta is a kindly witch, or Queen of the Fairies if you like. A tradition of southern Italy. She is sometimes called Fata Morgana, which in English is Morgan Le Fey. Rita being Christian, the boys also got to enjoy Santa Claus, but it sort of made them happy to know their festivities began before the other children at school. Throughout 17-25 Dec they would find little treats of cookies and candies or some little gifts, hidden away in unexpected places, left by the folletti.
Normally I had the boys assist a little with the folletti outdoors throughout the year. Only during Saturnalia were the folletti allowed in the house to keep warm. And Rita, who thought I was nuts when we first met, soon enough came around to appreciate the folletti. Whenever something would come up missing, like her tape and scissors while wrapping presents, she would blame it on the tape goblin, curse him and tell him to give it back. And we would leave out treats for the folletti every night, the boys always pleased to see they were eaten by next morning. Saturnalia is a magical time of year, not just for one night with one fat red elf but for the whole season with the folletti living with us. So we really played it up for the boys that magic was in our house.
For yourself, assuming you have converted from Christianity, this is an answer I recently gave to another query:
The simple answer is to hold on to your childhood memories, incorporating everything you most enjoyed as a child, for what you do, or how you do it, does not matter so much as the feelings it instills in you. Saturnalia is not Christmas, but enough was taken from pagan traditions that I don't think it matters should you incorporate some of your childhood Christmas memories into your present practices. If someone came from a Christian background, then honoring family traditions and childhood memories serves best to bring out the feeling of Saturnalia, and into that you then add other things, building up your pagan tradition over the years...If you have Christian Lares in your family then play them a Christmas song and enjoy. Exclusiveness is not part of pagan practices
Many people cannot enjoy this season without a tree. In my family, I do not put up a pine of Attys. I put up pine and holly garlands along my archways, and wreaths on my doors and walls. There are glass teardrop baubles, and tingling windchimes, with holiday lights, and candles, and all sorts of goodies I have baked over the preceding months. Actually, my archways have been decorated all year like that, it is only this time of year that other people do not take it to be odd. And to that Rita adds in her Christmas decorations.
With regard to riites, Rita does not participate in my rites (sometimes but not too often) and I do not attend her church (except for family functions). My rites are centered around my lararium at this time, perhaps more so than at other times of the year, because I am not outdoors as much. The lararium's edifice is decorated for the season, with additional offerings from everything else I would be baking up at this time of year, and special liqueurs I would have now, and maybe some special gifts for departed family members. Throughout the rest of the house, at the various shrines I would have, it is much the same. Not particularly special rites, but a seasonal flavor to my rites. A special rite is made on the night of the winter solstice, with prayers and offerings given to the Lares and Penates in thanks for the previous year. Then again in the week that follows, before New Year's, a prosperity rite is held, with one white candle lit throughout the night on the dining room table, and seven piles of vervain, inside a circle of mola salsa, where offerings of sweets and coins are placed. And whenever the Full Moon falls in this season there are offerings left at outdoor shrines for the Manes.
Mostly what we did in the family as a child, and then later with my own family, was spend the season in several parties. We always began the first Sunday of Saturnalia by visiting my grandfather for "breakfast." A misnomer as his breakfast was enough to keep anyone for a week, with roast chicken, roast beef, Italian sausages, ham, roasted potatoes and garlic, pasta, and everything else that goes with it. Over the week we would then visit my grandmother, who always served eel. In my house I would make calimari just to see the boys' eyes agog, and to see Rita's icky face as I prepared it. And there were visits to other family members as well, but things were capped off by a dinner for friends at my mother's. Tradition had it that this meal should serve seven courses of seafood. Linguini in clam sauce, baked fish and steamed mussels, scallops in pesto, calimari either deep fried, in marinara sauce on spaghetti, or grilled on skewers with shrimp, stuffed clams, crab, and fried smelt, and to that we would also serve other entrees. Each party was a feast. At each we exchanged gifts. And this we did over the course of the last two weeks of December.
Oh, if you want recipes for some of those dishes, I can post them too.
Anyway, Saturnalia is a time of celebrating family and friends with laughter and cheer. Wine by the fire, and all good feelings of warmth to you and yours.
IO SATURNALIA!
Di deaeque te semper ament.
Moravius Piscinus
M Horatius Piscinus
Sapere aude!