Saturnalia, an ancient Roman festival, was initially celebrated on December 17. It honored Saturn, the Roman god of agriculture and time. It gradually evolved into a week-long festive celebration.

An ancient Iranian god of the ... And much in the same way that Christmas seems to creep into shops earlier and earlier each year nowadays, Roman statesmen tried to limit the number of days ...

In ancient Rome, the exchange of gifts was accompanied ... Une si longue histoire ("Christmas: a very long history," Payot, 2016). Gift-giving was also found in some Celtic traditions, which ...

Rome during the Christmas season is a feast for the senses. Twinkling lights drape over the city’s cobblestone streets, towering Christmas trees adorn piazzas, and Nativity scenes beckon from ...

These days, Christmas roughly coincides with the winter solstice on Dec. 21. In ancient Rome, when people used a different version of the calendar, called the Julian calendar, the winter solstice ...

Christmas abroad for American seminarians studying in Rome can offer a chance to travel ... One of the plans is to go to the ancient Christian basilica of Aquileia, which has a number of ...

“When you come to Rome, especially to these pilgrimage ... exploration of historical and ancient sites, holiday markets during both Christmas 2024 and 2025, and a host of varying ceremonies ...

This year, the 10-meter-long (32.8 feet) Christmas tree at the ancient Capitoline Hill (Campidoglio), is dedicated to the Italian constitution.