Saturn, Janus and the Solstice

Saturn was the Roman god of agriculture and was believed to have ruled an egalitarian age of peace and plenty before the beginning of history. Janus was the Roman god of gates, doorways or any other metaphorical passage that demarcated the past from the future. Solstice is a latin word meaning "the sun stands still", which refers to its altitude in the sky at local noon. On that day, the altitude of the Sun stops decreasing and begins to increase, which means that at some moment on that day it must stand still in its apparent vertical motion. This was the time the Romans celebrated Saturnalia, beginning on the 17th of December and lasting 7 days. Significantly, present day Christmas Eve was the last day of Saturnalia. From a celestial rather than an local perspective, the Winter Solstice occurs when the Sun passes through the celestial meridian of 18 hours right ascension in its apparent motion along the Ecliptic. And despite what an Astrologer would tell you, the Sun appears to be moving into the constellation of Sagittarius at this time of year. Because the constellation of Orion is near the opposite point in the sky, it currently dominates the night sky as seen from the northern hemisphere of the Earth. The club upraised in his right hand points at this location, where the 6th hour of right ascension intersects the Ecliptic. The next Full Moon will appear near this position in the sky, actually to the east of it, since the Sun's position will have moved eastward as well by then. I digress, though. To the Romans and many other ancient peoples, this seemed an appropriate time to have an important celebration. The 7 days of Saturnalia were a time when Romans took turns inviting each other to banquets and giving each other gifts. The practical object of this practice was to promote goodwill, even between masters and slaves, who were treated like guests by their masters at these banquets, rather than like servants. The 1st of January has considered a holy day for the worship of Janus, the god with two faces. The month was named in his honour, and Romans would begin the calendar year by making offerings to Janus, believing that he might bless them with good fortune in return. The close succession of these celebrations both reveals and explains an aspect Roman culture that most people take no notice of. Every year, the Romans would try to pacify personal quarrels and relieve class tensions by promoting goodwill before they would seek the favour of a god they believed might make them prosperous in the coming year. In contrast to other austere or violent aspects of Roman culture, goodwill and prosperity were closely linked in the minds of pious Romans.