![]() I Segreti dei Solstizi», published by Rirella Editrice (rirella-editrice.ch). □ If you wish to know more about these Illuminations and Archaeoastronomy, we explain it in detail in our book «Villa Adriana. The is the week-long celebration of Saturnalia. ✅ Many Roman buildings were oriented in order to create luminous «special effects» in the days of Winter Solstice, such as those we discovered in Hadrian's Villa in Tivoli, in the buildings of Roccabruna and Accademia. The week surrounding the longest night of the year, the Winter Solstice, marked the beginning of Winter for the Ancient Romans and so, like any other important time of the year, was brought in by revelry and extravagance. It started as a farming ritual, where farmers would offer gifts and sacrifices to the gods in celebration of the winter solstice and the winter planting season. 1 2 In Rome there had been the minor holiday of Bruma on November 24, which turned into large scale end of the year festivities in Constantinople and Christianity. Also emperor Hadrian was portrayed as Sol Invictus on the Quadriga of the Sun, a bronze sculpture which seems to have been on top of his Mausoleum, the current Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome. The Brumalia ( Latin: Brumalia brumal.a) were a winter solstice festival celebrated in the eastern part of the Roman Empire. ✅ We know, however, that Nero had previously identified himself with the Sun by the name of Neos Helios. ✅ In the third century AD to the Saturnalia was added the cult of the Sol Invictus, a solar deity of oriental origin, imported by the emperor Elagabalus and later by Aurelian. Shops, schools and courts were closed, wars were suspended. ✅ Originally the Saturnalia were dedicated to the god Saturn, who was later replaced by Dionysus: the wild feasts and abundant libations typical of his cult were added to the old rituals. Small terracotta figurines and candles (a symbol of the light returning after the Winter Solstice) were typical gifts, along with other cheap items. Gift-giving was another common theme of Saturnalia. A game similar to today's Bingo was played: the numbers also had oracular functions, and were used to predict the future. Io Saturnalia was the official salutation of the festival, often used after singing or joke-telling. People exchanged gifts, a great banquet was prepared to cheer up the long night spent awake, waiting for the new Sun to rise. ![]() ✅ The Saturnalia were a rite of passage from the Old to the New Year, similar to our Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations. ![]() ✅ In Roman times the most important feast of the year were the Saturnalia, celebrated on the Winter Solstice, when it seemed that the Sun was not going to rise again the apparent death of Nature had to be exorcised with special rituals, so that the Sun could resume its course. ![]() □ WINTER SOLSTICE, SATURNALIA AND SOL INVICTUS ![]()
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