What Was Saturnalia? Saturn, the Golden Age, and the Meaning of December 17

Saturn, the Golden Age, and the Art of Unshackling

Since the beginning of time, there has been something very special about the middle to end of December. It seems across cultures and time eras, humans have marked this moment in the year as meaningful and often held all sorts of ceremonies and rituals around this time. I guess partly because it IS a time of darkness here in the Northern Hemisphere and there’s something about that, that brings people deep into prayer and spiritual rituals.

Then in more modern times we’ve had the influence of Christianity and the Christmas festivities have become the dominant cultural narrative around this season. But long before Christmas, and long before Christianity spread across Europe, humans were already gathering, resting, feasting, and ritualising this time.

One of the traditions connected to this time of year, has has been largely forgotten for centuries, at least in mainstream culture (but is beginning to be remembered and spoken about again) is the ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia.

What was Saturnalia?

Saturnalia was a huge celebration that was about taking a break from some of the confinements of life, as well as praying for the seeds already planted in the now wintery fields.

Let’s look at some of what Saturn meant to Ancient Roman’s.

In Roman myth, Saturn was said to have ruled during the “Golden Age” a time when everything was in abundance and life was free, without any modern constructs such as social hierarchy, ownership or before slavery (as they existed in Roman society). During this Golden Age the natural abundance meant there were no need for these things as there were less threats, there was enough for everyone and no need to work so hard.

From a modern lens I can see this mythical age as a time where people lived in Saturn’s more natural order, rather than dominance and abuse of power. A time where people lived within the cycles of nature. I’m saying this as there is always some order, like the phrase “ time and tide wait for no man” this is very Saturnian.

But in modern Roman life it felt as some of the more shadowy aspects of Saturn were at play with hierarchy, control, slavery and even then the need for organised agriculture and wars as opposed to the mythical Golden Age where natural order ruled.

And so, coming to our point, Saturnalia was a celebration to ‘unshackle’ and come back to this golden time. For that one day (which later extended to a week) the modern Saturn rules were inverted or let go of. Slaves could do as they wish, no hierarchy, people were free.

I find it irocnic that even this hedonistic day was ‘ordered’ in that every one observed this within the given times only - then all the modern dominance was brought back to order!

It’s said even in those time the leader saw the need for a pressure valve release in such a controlled society.

Saturn as an Agricultural God of Sowing

Another important aspects of Saturnalia is Saturn is was an agricultural god. Saturn was not primarily a god of harvest, but was a god of sowing the seeds.

In Roman religion, Saturn presided over agriculture in its most patient form. He governed the act of planting seeds into the Earth and trusting that, in time, something would grow. This is deeply Saturnian astrology, it’s about doing the work but often with delayed gratification (no quick wins!).

By the time Saturnalia was celebrated the agricultural year done with seeds had already been sown earlier in the year. There was nothing left to do but wait and ‘pray to the gods’ and hope for an abundant harvest next year akin to the Golden Age.

Why December 17th?

In Roman timekeeping, Saturnalia fell on what was known as the fourteenth day before the Kalends of January. The Kalends marked January 1, the beginning of the new year. So Saturnalia sits in the darkness of winter and roughly close to solstice.

December 17 was also the dedication anniversary of the Temple of Saturn in the Roman Forum. This gave the festival an official religious anchor and made it a “public holiday” with all offical business stopped.

Over time, what began as a single day expanded. By the late Roman Republic, Saturnalia had stretched into multiple days, and by the first century BCE it was commonly celebrated as a full week, from December 17 to December 23. Emperors sometimes tried to shorten it, but popular devotion kept pulling it wider. The collective body needed more time to exhale.

Saturn Archetype: Order or Control?

In my work, and in my Spiritual Nutrition Astrology teachings, I share that every archetype exists across a full spectrum. There is a shadow expression and a healthy, embodied expression and I think that the story of Saturnalia actually shows this beauitfully.

At one end of the spectrum, in The Golden Age, Saturn represents divine order, natural timing, healthy boundaries, working with natures cycles and respect for shared resources and other humans so that they can all live in peace and abundance together.

At the other end of the spectrum, Saturn can show up as dominance, control, enforced hierarchy, oppression, and limitation that restricts others such as slavery. Unfortunately all these themes were huge parts of the Roman times. This is Saturn distorted through fear, scarcity, and human power systems.

When I was researching this festival you hear a lot about turning the rules upside down and hedonistic behaviours etc which seems very un-Saturn. BUT what I feel is that underneath that it was actually a celebration for a more healthy expression of Saturn as was seen in the Golden Age times.

Saturnalia for Our Time

The more I reflect on this, the more relevant Saturnalia feels for us now.

Where are unhealthy forms of Saturn repressing or oppressing us? Where do we feel shackled. Many speak of us being modern slaves, who think we are free - but we are slaves to a system that we are not allowed to live outside of? In many places it’s illegal to live off grid and it’s certainly illegal to not pay taxes (although they are out of control at this point), and don’t get me started on digital ID!!!

I think now more than ever in our modern age that we're in a period coming into 2026 where we have Pluto and Aquarius, where Saturn and Neptune are going to come at zero degrees Aries (which hasn't happened for thousands of years and it's a huge brand new cycle) that it’s a time to REDEFINE the Saturn Influences in our society to something more of a Golden Age. I mean if not now? When?!

I mean, there hasn't been a more important time or maybe even a more relevant time to actually celebrate Saturnalia and what that means for you.

You can even layer this into your winter solstice or summer solstice celebrations, thinking about what we want to let go of in winter solstice. That's very akin to what shackles do we want to remove. I guess the difference with Saturnalia is allowing yourself that freedom, even if it's just for one day. So it could be even modern shackles. If you feel that your phone is controlling you or technology is controlling you, that might be a shackle that you wish to release this Saturnalia.

However you choose to celebrate, enjoy feeling free and visioning a Golden Age for us all.

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