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88-540: Already in ancient times, there were festivities in which disguise, increased alcohol consumption or parades played a role. Whether the origins of the Rhenish carnival can possibly be traced back to the Roman Saturnalia , which were also celebrated in the then Roman Rhineland , cannot be proven. However, numerous elements can be found there that still characterise today's carnival, such as the abolition of class distinctions,

176-422: A suckling pig , a traditional offering to an earth deity . Saturn also had a less benevolent aspect. One of his consorts was Lua , sometimes called Lua Saturni ("Saturn's Lua") and identified with Lua Mater, "Mother Destruction", a goddess in whose honor the weapons of enemies killed in war were burned, perhaps in expiation. Saturn's chthonic nature connected him to the underworld and its ruler Dīs Pater ,

264-677: A "police card" in order to be allowed to be in public dressed up or masked. Under French rule , carnival was largely banished to enclosed spaces. After the end of the French period, now under Prussian rule in the Rhineland, the carnival amusements also shifted back to the public streets and squares in the city. Carnival events were held on the days from Sunday to Tuesday. In 1825, for example, these fell on 13 to 15 February. During this time, masquerade balls were held in public establishments and events were held in public houses with musical entertainment. One of

352-541: A book of bad poems by "the worst poet of all time" as a joke from a friend. Gift-giving was not confined to the day of the Sigillaria. In some households, guests and family members received gifts after the feast in which slaves had shared. Imperial sources refer to a Saturnalicius princeps ("Ruler of the Saturnalia"), who ruled as master of ceremonies for the proceedings. He was appointed by lot, and has been compared to

440-535: A catchment area in the surrounding towns, which existed even before the municipal reorganisation in 1975, has been preserved. This was also the nucleus of the Düsseldorf regional bands "Halve Hahn" and "Alt Schuss". The latter had its biggest hit with "Die Sterne funkele" (The Stars Sparkle), which was originally the session motto for the Unterbach carnival in 1997. The merry goings-on came to an end on Ash Wednesday with

528-400: A float dedicated to Heinrich Heine . The Shrove Monday procession enjoys great attention through the annual nationwide live broadcast on television. In the twentieth century, the political caricature floats designed by Jacques Tilly are increasingly brought to the fore. After these also caused international disgruntlement among those depicted, the themes were kept secret until the start of

616-571: A much longer tradition. Other Veedelszooch take place in Angermund , Wittlaer , Lohausen , Eller , Mörsenbroich , Benrath , Reisholz and Itter . The larger parades in Gerresheim, Niederkassel and Eller each attract tens of thousands of visitors. A special situation is found in the Unterbacher Carnival. There, the completely independent carnival with a prince and princess and a parade with

704-602: A so-called Tuntenlauf on the Kö has taken place on carnival Saturdays in cooperation between the Comitee Düsseldorfer Carneval and Heartbreakers, the support association of the Düsseldorf Aidshilfe. Due to the success of the event with the corresponding crowds of visitors, the security requirements grew to such an extent that the event could no longer be financed and had to be discontinued in 2010. Since 2011, under

792-524: Is me! Because I have sinned, the world darkens around me, and returns to formlessness and void. This is the death to which Heaven has sentenced me!" He decided to spend eight days in fasting and prayer. When he saw the winter solstice, and he saw that the day was continuously lengthening, he said, "It is the order of the world!" He went and feasted for eight days. The following year, he feasted for both. He established them in Heaven's name, but they established them in

880-504: Is pronounced either with two syllables (a short i and a long o ) or as a single syllable (with the i becoming the Latin consonantal j and pronounced yō ). It was a strongly emotive ritual exclamation or invocation, used for instance in announcing triumph or celebrating Bacchus , but also to punctuate a joke. As an observance of state religion, Saturnalia was supposed to have been held " ... quarto decimo Kalendarum Ianuariarum ", on

968-517: Is שנאה טמונה śinʾâ ṭǝmûnâ "hidden hatred," and refers to the hatred Esau , whom the Rabbis believed had fathered Rome, harbored for Jacob . The Babylonian Talmud 's Avodah Zarah ascribes the origins of Saturnalia (and Kalends) to Adam , who saw that the days were getting shorter and thought it was punishment for his sin: When the First Man saw that the day was continuously shortening, he said, "Woe

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1056-642: The Regierungsbezirk of Trier , and from November 1834 Oberpräsident of the Rhine Province , in which he served during a turbulent time. In 1842, von Bodelschwingh-Velmede became Finance Minister of Prussia , and Interior Minister in 1845. In 1847, he attempted to lead the United Diet ( Vereinigter Landtag ), but failed. He did not sympathize with the Revolutions of 1848 , and on 19 March resigned to enter

1144-531: The Capitolium , and the first king of Latium or even the whole of Italy. At the same time, there was a tradition that Saturn had been an immigrant deity, received by Janus after he was usurped by his son Jupiter ( Zeus ) and expelled from Greece. His contradictions—a foreigner with one of Rome's oldest sanctuaries, and a god of liberation who is kept in fetters most of the year—indicate Saturn's capacity for obliterating social distinctions. Roman mythology of

1232-753: The Greco-Roman world , including the Cretan festival of Hermaia in honor of Hermes , an unnamed festival from Troezen in honor of Poseidon , the Thessalian festival of Peloria in honor of Zeus Pelorios , and an unnamed festival from Babylon . He also mentions that the custom of masters dining with their slaves was associated with the Athenian festival of Anthesteria and the Spartan festival of Hyacinthia . The Argive festival of Hybristica , though not directly related to

1320-707: The Hofgartenhaus from an exclusively male association that had been meeting loosely since 1826. Since its foundation, the association was banned by the authorities several times for political reasons. In 1844, the Düsseldorf District President Adolph von Spiegel-Borlinghausen  [ de ] even had the association dissolved. After the re-admitted association had begun in 1846 to send artistically designed honorary certificates appointing honorary members to liberal personalities, among others to Ernst Moritz Arndt and to Friedrich Christoph Dahlmann ,

1408-638: The Middle Ages was a time of ruckus, drinking, gambling, and overeating. The tradition of the Saturnalicius princeps was particularly influential. In medieval France and Switzerland, a boy would be elected " bishop for a day " on 28 December (the Feast of the Holy Innocents ) and would issue decrees much like the Saturnalicius princeps . The boy bishop's tenure ended during the evening vespers . This custom

1496-690: The New Year . Saturnalia underwent a major reform in 217 BC, after the Battle of Lake Trasimene , when the Romans suffered one of their most crushing defeats by Carthage during the Second Punic War . Until that time, they had celebrated the holiday according to Roman custom ( more Romano ) . It was after a consultation of the Sibylline Books that they adopted "Greek rite", introducing sacrifices carried out in

1584-714: The University of Berlin and the University of Göttingen . He participated in the Freiheitskriege ("liberty wars"), and at Leipzig earned the Iron Cross first class; he was heavily wounded at Freiburg on 21 October 1813. He subsequently completed his studies at the University of Berlin, and in 1817 entered government service. From 1822 he was an administrator ( Landrat ) of Kreis Tecklenburg in Westphalia , from 1831 president of

1672-477: The [winter] solstice and Saturnura begins eight days before the [winter] solstice". Ḥananel b. Ḥushiel , followed by Rashi , claims: "Eight days before the solstice -- their festival was for all eight days," which slightly overstates the Saturnalia's historical six-day length, possibly to associate the holiday with Hanukkah . In the Jerusalem Talmud , Avodah Zarah claims the etymology of Saturnalia

1760-517: The late medieval period and early Renaissance , many towns in England elected a " Lord of Misrule " at Christmas time to preside over the Feast of Fools . This custom was sometimes associated with the Twelfth Night or Epiphany . A common tradition in western Europe was to drop a bean, coin, or other small token into a cake or pudding ; whoever found the object would become the "King (or Queen) of

1848-517: The 15th century. In the 16th century, carnival celebrations were so entrenched in Düsseldorf customs that the sick in the Siechenhaus  [ de ] were given an allowance for the "vastelavent". While masquerade balls according to Venezian model were celebrated at the Düsseldorf court, especially during the time of the Elector Jan Wellem , the celebrations of the subjects, especially of

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1936-540: The 1st century B.C., the celebration had been extended through 23 December, for a total of seven days of festivities. The holiday was celebrated with a sacrifice at the Temple of Saturn , in the Roman Forum , and a public banquet, followed by private gift-giving, continual partying, and a carnival atmosphere that overturned Roman social norms : gambling was permitted, and masters provided table service for their slaves as it

2024-424: The 9th century, is sometimes given as a source for a claim that, in the fourth century AD, Pope Julius I formalized that the nativity of Christ should be celebrated on 25 December. Some speculate that this is around the same time as the Saturnalia celebrations, and that part of the reason why he chose this date may have been because he was trying to create a Christian alternative to Saturnalia. Another reason for

2112-533: The Bean". During the Protestant Reformation , reformers sought to revise or even completely abolish such practices, which they regarded as " popish "; these efforts were largely successful. The Puritans banned the "Lord of Misrule" in England and the custom was largely forgotten shortly thereafter, though the bean in the pudding survived as a tradition of a small gift to the one finding a single almond hidden in

2200-471: The Carnival parade, over 60 floats once. again roll past hundreds of thousands of celebrating guests and "supply" them with "Balkes" or "Kamelle" (sweets and other small gifts) thrown from the floats. Numerous volunteers have been busy for several months beforehand building the floats, which usually caricature current events. Numerous costume and music groups from all parts of Germany and neighbouring countries join

2288-509: The Düsseldorf carnival. The beginning of the carnival season falls every year on 11 November. On Martinmas the Hoppeditz awakens at exactly 11:11. He rises from a large mustard pot in front of the Jan Wellem monument on the market square in front of the town hall and gives his both funny and biting "opening speech" for the new session, the irony of which is countered by the respective mayor. In

2376-515: The Empire. Saturnalia continued as a secular celebration long after it was removed from the official calendar. As William Warde Fowler notes: "[Saturnalia] has left its traces and found its parallels in great numbers of medieval and modern customs, occurring about the time of the winter solstice." The actual date of Jesus 's birth is unknown. A spurious correspondence between Cyril of Jerusalem and Pope Julius I (337–352), quoted by John of Nikiu in

2464-629: The Golden Age of Saturn's reign differed from the Greek tradition. He arrived in Italy "dethroned and fugitive", but brought agriculture and civilization and became a king. As the Augustan poet Virgil described it: "[H]e gathered together the unruly race [of fauns and nymphs ] scattered over mountain heights, and gave them laws .... Under his reign were the golden ages men tell of: in such perfect peace he ruled

2552-522: The Greek manner, the public banquet, and the continual shouts of io Saturnalia that became characteristic of the celebration. Cato the Elder (234–149 BC) remembered a time before the so-called "Greek" elements had been added to the Roman Saturnalia. It was not unusual for the Romans to offer cult ( cultus ) to the deities of other nations in the hope of redirecting their favour (see evocatio ), and

2640-860: The Prussian Abgeordnetenhaus (lower house), first in January 1849 and again after a new electoral law was imposed in 1849. He was later elected to the Erfurt city council as well. In the Prussian legislature he supported the Unionpolitik of the government. In the legislative session from 1850 to 1851 he was leader of the Zentrumspartei . In 1852 he was appointed president of the Regierungsbezirk of Arnsberg . He died in 1854 while on an official trip to Medebach . His brother, Karl von Bodelschwingh-Velmede ,

2728-754: The Prussian Minister of the Interior Ernst von Bodelschwingh-Velmede demanded the renewed prohibition of the association in 1847, whose president in 1846 and 1847 was the painter Adolph Schroedter . It can be traced back in Düsseldorf at least to 1833. After a masquerade on Burgplatz , the "engagement of Hanswursten to Anna Dorothea Petronella Weichbusen" was celebrated in the evening under Helau und Habuh . The Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm III had "carnival merrymaking" generally banned by cabinet order of 31 January 1834. The state of Prussia saw in carnival

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2816-538: The Roman equivalent of Greek Plouton (Pluto in Latin) who was also a god of hidden wealth. In sources of the third century AD and later, Saturn is recorded as receiving dead gladiators as offerings ( munera ) during or near the Saturnalia. These gladiatorial events, ten days in all throughout December, were presented mainly by the quaestors and sponsored with funds from the treasury of Saturn. The practice of gladiator munera

2904-574: The Romans often adopted and reinterpreted Greek myths , iconography, and even religious practices for their own deities , but the uncovering of the priest's head may also be one of the Saturnalian reversals, the opposite of what was normal. Following the sacrifice the Roman Senate arranged a lectisternium , a ritual of Greek origin that typically involved placing a deity's image on a sumptuous couch, as if he were present and actively participating in

2992-413: The Saturnalia donned the pilleus , the conical felt cap that was the usual mark of a freedman. Slaves, who ordinarily were not entitled to wear the pilleus , wore it as well, so that everyone was "pilleated" without distinction. The participation of freeborn Roman women is implied by sources that name gifts for women, but their presence at banquets may have depended on the custom of their time; from

3080-434: The Saturnalia may have developed as a satiric response to the new era of rule by a princeps , the title assumed by the first emperor Augustus to avoid the hated connotations of the word "king" (rex) . Art and literature under Augustus celebrated his reign as a new Golden Age, but the Saturnalia makes a mockery of a world in which law is determined by one man and the traditional social and political networks are reduced to

3168-461: The Saturnalia, Martial names both expensive and quite cheap gifts, including writing tablets, dice, knucklebones , moneyboxes, combs, toothpicks, a hat, a hunting knife, an axe, various lamps, balls, perfumes , pipes, a pig, a sausage, a parrot , tables, cups, spoons, items of clothing, statues, masks, books, and pets. Gifts might be as costly as a slave or exotic animal, but Martial suggests that token gifts of low intrinsic value inversely measure

3256-512: The Saturnalia, Horace has a slave offer sharp criticism to his master. Everyone knew, however, that the leveling of the social hierarchy was temporary and had limits; no social norms were ultimately threatened, because the holiday would end. The toga , the characteristic garment of the male Roman citizen, was set aside in favor of the Greek synthesis , colourful "dinner clothes" otherwise considered in poor taste for daytime wear. Romans of citizen status normally went about bare-headed, but for

3344-566: The Saturnalia, involved a similar reversal of roles in which women would dress as men and men would dress as women. The ancient Roman historian Justinus credits Saturn with being a historical king of the pre-Roman inhabitants of Italy : "The first inhabitants of Italy were the Aborigines, whose king, Saturnus, is said to have been a man of such extraordinary justice, that no one was a slave in his reign, or had any private property, but all things were common to all, and undivided, as one estate for

3432-470: The Saturnalian spirit. Gambling and dice-playing, normally prohibited or at least frowned upon, were permitted for all, even slaves. Coins and nuts were the stakes . On the Calendar of Philocalus , the Saturnalia is represented by a man wearing a fur-trimmed coat next to a table with dice, and a caption reading: "Now you have license, slave, to game with your master." Rampant overeating and drunkenness became

3520-730: The Second Punic War in particular created pressures on Roman society that led to a number of religious innovations and reforms. Robert E.A. Palmer has argued that the introduction of new rites at this time was in part an effort to appease Ba'al Hammon , the Carthaginian god who was regarded as the counterpart of the Roman Saturn and Greek Cronus . The table service that masters offered their slaves thus would have extended to Carthaginian or African war captives. The statue of Saturn at his main temple normally had its feet bound in wool, which

3608-644: The Shrove Monday procession and provide atmosphere and music. The Shrove Monday procession had to be postponed twice due to weather conditions. In 1990 the procession was postponed to 19 May, in 2016 to 13 March. In 1991, the procession was cancelled altogether due to the Third Gulf War . In 2018, the Jewish Community of Düsseldorf  [ de ] took part in the Rosenmontagszug for the first time with

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3696-567: The Temple to Saturn in the Roman Forum in 497 BC. When Julius Caesar had the calendar reformed because it had fallen out of synchronization with the solar year , two days were added to the month, and the date of Saturnalia then changed, still falling on the 17 December, but with this now being the sixteenth day before the Kalends, as per the Roman reckoning of dates of this time. It was felt, thus, that

3784-490: The circumstances: some suggest that master and slave dined together, while others indicate that the slaves feasted first, or that the masters actually served the food. The practice might have varied over time. Saturnalian license also permitted slaves to disrespect their masters without the threat of a punishment. It was a time for free speech : the Augustan poet Horace calls it "December liberty". In two satires set during

3872-519: The city of Düsseldorf applied to hold a carnival procession, which was allowed to be held for the first time in 1834 with official approval. However, the first organised carnival parades were still long behind the Malkasten-Redoute , the costume and masked ball of the Malkasten , which had been organised since the middle of the 19th century and was one of the supra-locally known and social highlights of

3960-596: The coming of the new year was celebrated in the later Roman Empire at the Dies Natalis Solis Invicti , the "Birthday of the Unconquerable Sun", on 25 December. The popularity of Saturnalia continued into the 3rd and 4th centuries CE, and as the Roman Empire came under Christian rule, many of its customs were recast into or at least influenced the seasonal celebrations surrounding Christmas and

4048-508: The complete license enjoyed by slaves at the Saturnalia." In Lucian 's Saturnalia it is Chronos himself who proclaims a "festive season, when 'tis lawful to be drunken, and slaves have license to revile their lords". In one of the interpretations in Macrobius's work, Saturnalia is a festival of light leading to the winter solstice , with the abundant presence of candles symbolizing the quest for knowledge and truth. The renewal of light and

4136-579: The cremation of the Hoppeditz amid great lamentations from the Möhnen  [ de ] in the garden of the Stadtmuseum Landeshauptstadt Düsseldorf  [ de ] . Saturnalia Saturnalia is an ancient Roman festival and holiday in honour of the god Saturn , held on 17 December of the Julian calendar and later expanded with festivities through 19 December. By

4224-428: The customs associated with later celebrations in western Europe occurring in midwinter, particularly traditions associated with Christmas , the Feast of the Holy Innocents , and Epiphany . In particular, the historical western European Christmas custom of electing a " Lord of Misrule " may have its roots in Saturnalia celebrations. In Roman mythology , Saturn was an agricultural deity who was said to have reigned over

4312-445: The danger of "impairing morality in the dancing pleasures that produce raw pleasure, especially among the lower classes of the population, the encouragement of the holding of drinking parties and the reckless spending of money that this causes, which leads to poverty and thus reduces prosperity". An exception was only opened for those cities in the Rhine Province in which carnival events had continued since time immemorial. On this basis,

4400-422: The decision may have been because, in 274 AD, the Roman emperor Aurelian had declared 25 December the birthdate of Sol Invictus and Julius I may have thought that he could attract more converts to Christianity by allowing them to continue to celebrate on the same day. He may have also been influenced by the idea that Jesus had died on the anniversary of his conception; because Jesus died during Passover and, in

4488-490: The direction of the "KG Regenbogen", the successor event has taken place under the motto "Tunte lauf!" in fixed venues, most recently in a discotheque near the Kö. The "Children and Youth Parade" is more recent. Since 2006, daycare centres, schools and clubs have paraded through the city centre on Carnival Saturday. There is a prize for the most imaginative ideas. The relaxed atmosphere has become particularly popular with families. Horses and large floats are not used, so that even

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4576-495: The earlier Greek holiday of Kronia , which was celebrated during the Attic month of Hekatombaion in late midsummer. It held theological importance for some Romans, who saw it as a restoration of the ancient Golden Age , when the world was ruled by Saturn. The Neoplatonist philosopher Porphyry interpreted the freedom associated with Saturnalia as symbolizing the "freeing of souls into immortality". Saturnalia may have influenced some of

4664-514: The festivities. A public banquet followed ( convivium publicum) . The day was supposed to be a holiday from all forms of work. Schools were closed, and exercise regimens were suspended. Courts were not in session, so no justice was administered, and no declaration of war could be made. After the public rituals, observances continued at home . On 18 and 19 December, which were also holidays from public business, families conducted domestic rituals. They bathed early, and those with means sacrificed

4752-450: The fourteenth day before the Kalends of the pre-Julian, twenty-nine day December, on the oldest Roman religious calendar , which the Romans believed to have been established by the legendary founder Romulus and his successor Numa Pompilius . It was a dies festus , a legal holiday when no public business could be conducted. The day marked the dedication anniversary ( dies natalis ) of

4840-438: The games of my people and they don't hinder my work or studies." The Sigillaria on 19 December was a day of gift-giving. Because gifts of value would mark social status contrary to the spirit of the season, these were often the pottery or wax figurines called sigillaria made specially for the day, candles, or " gag gifts ", of which Augustus was particularly fond. Children received toys as gifts. In his many poems about

4928-440: The high quality of a friendship. Patrons or "bosses" might pass along a gratuity (sigillaricium) to their poorer clients or dependents to help them buy gifts. Some emperors were noted for their devoted observance of the Sigillaria. In a practice that might be compared to modern greeting cards , verses sometimes accompanied the gifts. Martial has a collection of poems written as if to be attached to gifts. Catullus received

5016-429: The highlights were the public amusements on Tuesday on Carlsplatz. Police regulations regarding floats and horseback riding had to be observed especially for this Tuesday. Also in 1825, a "Carnevals-Comité", forerunner of today's Comitee Düsseldorfer Carneval  [ de ] , was formed in Düsseldorf, following the example of the Festkomitee Kölner Karneval  [ de ] founded in 1823. The "Comité", which

5104-446: The increased consumption of alcohol, the loosening of morals and parades in the streets. The origins of the Düsseldorf carnival have not been handed down. The first report of carnival celebrations in the Düsseldorf Castle on the occasion of Shrovetide dates back to 1360. It was there that the berg and jülichsche Nobility. The Düsseldorf historian Friedrich Lau assumes that carnival was also celebrated in bourgeois circles as early as

5192-512: The late Republic onward, women mingled socially with men more freely than they had in earlier times. Female entertainers were certainly present at some otherwise all-male gatherings. Role-playing was implicit in the Saturnalia's status reversals, and there are hints of mask-wearing or " guising ". No theatrical events are mentioned in connection with the festivities, but the classicist Erich Segal saw Roman comedy , with its cast of impudent, free-wheeling slaves and libertine seniors, as imbued with

5280-505: The light of life. The figurines that were exchanged as gifts ( sigillaria ) may also have represented token substitutes. "Meanwhile, the head of the slave household, whose responsibility it was to offer sacrifice to the Penates , to manage the provisions and to direct the activities of the domestic servants, came to tell his master that the household had feasted according to the annual ritual custom. For at this festival, in houses that keep to proper religious usage, they first of all honor

5368-408: The lower social classes, were of a more raucous nature. According to a description by the Düsseldorf regional poet Hans Müller-Schlösser , many Düsseldorf citizens found the carnival at the beginning of the 19th century vulgar and noisy. In its form at the time, carnival was also suspect to the authorities. Due to the carnival regulations of 1806 issued by King Maximilian I , the jesters had to acquire

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5456-415: The medieval Lord of Misrule at the Feast of Fools . His capricious commands, such as "Sing naked!" or "Throw him into cold water!", had to be obeyed by the other guests at the convivium : he creates and (mis)rules a chaotic and absurd world. The future emperor Nero is recorded as playing the role in his youth. Since this figure does not appear in accounts from the Republican period , the princeps of

5544-403: The name of idolatry. In the Babylonian Avodah Zarah , this etiology is attributed to the tannaim , but the story is suspiciously similar to the etiology of Kalends attributed by the Jerusalem Avodah Zarah to Abba Arikha . Unlike several Roman religious festivals which were particular to cult sites in the city, the prolonged seasonal celebration of Saturnalia at home could be held anywhere in

5632-417: The nations." The third century Neoplatonic philosopher Porphyry took an allegorical view of the Saturnalia. He saw the festival's theme of liberation and dissolution as representing the "freeing of souls into immortality"—an interpretation that Mithraists may also have followed, since they included many slaves and freedmen. According to Porphyry, the Saturnalia occurred near the winter solstice because

5720-460: The new year, many carnival associations organise costume balls and so-called sessions at which Büttenrede , dances by dance guards, among others, and carnival songs are performed. The appearance of the Düsseldorf prince and princess (consisting of the prince with his lady Venetia) is often a highlight of such sessions. Today, Rosenmontag is the highlight of the carnival (organised by the Düsseldorf Carnival Committee and its affiliated clubs). Then, in

5808-401: The original day had thus been moved by two days, and so Saturnalia was celebrated under Augustus as a three-day official holiday encompassing both dates. By the late Republic , the private festivities of Saturnalia had expanded to seven days, but during the Imperial period contracted variously to three to five days. Caligula extended official observances to five. The date 17 December

5896-430: The plan of our conduct; whether we should eve in our usual way, or, to avoid singularity, both take a better supper and throw off the toga." Some Romans found it all a bit much. Pliny describes a secluded suite of rooms in his Laurentine villa , which he used as a retreat: "... especially during the Saturnalia when the rest of the house is noisy with the licence of the holiday and festive cries. This way I don't hamper

5984-425: The power of the emperor over his subjects. In a poem about a lavish Saturnalia under Domitian , Statius makes it clear that the emperor, like Jupiter , still reigns during the temporary return of Saturn. The phrase io Saturnalia was the characteristic shout or salutation of the festival, originally commencing after the public banquet on the single day of 17 December. The interjection io (Greek ἰώ , ǐō )

6072-403: The procession so that they could not be warned off in advance. In particular, the reactions of the Archbishop of Cologne, Cardinal Joachim Meisner , and those of the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attracted widespread attention in the press and politics. Equally important in Düsseldorf is the "unorganised" Fat Thursday and Sunday carnivals are the highlights there. On Weiberfastnacht,

6160-498: The rule, and a sober person the exception. Seneca looked forward to the holiday, if somewhat tentatively, in a letter to a friend: "It is now the month of December, when the greatest part of the city is in a bustle. Loose reins are given to public dissipation; everywhere you may hear the sound of great preparations, as if there were some real difference between the days devoted to Saturn and those for transacting business. ... Were you here, I would willingly confer with you as to

6248-416: The slaves with a dinner prepared as if for the master; and only afterwards is the table set again for the head of the household. So, then, the chief slave came in to announce the time of dinner and to summon the masters to the table." Saturnalia was characterized by role reversals and behavioral license. Slaves were treated to a banquet of the kind usually enjoyed by their masters. Ancient sources differ on

6336-630: The smallest visitors can enjoy themselves on this day. In imitation of the Veedelszöch in the Cologne Carnival , smaller parades called Veedelszooch (note the different spelling and pronunciation, see also Benrath line ) have also formed on Sunday in some Düsseldorf districts. The Gerresheim Veedelszoch, which has been taking place since 1976, attracts the most visitors. In contrast, the barrel race in Niederkassel , which first took place in 1887, has

6424-448: The solstice". The Saturnalia reflects the contradictory nature of the deity Saturn himself: "There are joyful and utopian aspects of careless well-being side by side with disquieting elements of threat and danger." As a deity of agricultural bounty, Saturn embodied prosperity and wealth in general. The name of his consort Ops meant "wealth, resources". Her festival, Opalia , was celebrated on 19 December. The Temple of Saturn housed

6512-454: The state treasury ( aerarium Saturni ) and was the administrative headquarters of the quaestors , the public officials whose duties included oversight of the mint . It was among the oldest cult sites in Rome, and had been the location of "a very ancient" altar ( ara ) even before the building of the first temple in 497 BC. The Romans regarded Saturn as the original and autochthonous ruler of

6600-665: The sun enters Capricorn , the astrological house of Saturn, at that time. In the Saturnalia of Macrobius , the proximity of the Saturnalia to the winter solstice leads to an exposition of solar monotheism , the belief that the Sun (see Sol Invictus ) ultimately encompasses all divinities as one. M. Avodah Zarah lists Saturnalia as a "festival of the gentiles," along with the Kalents of January and Kratesis . B. Avodah Zarah records that Ḥanan b. Rava said, "Kalends begins eight days after

6688-430: The third century AD, Passover was celebrated on 25 March, he may have assumed that Jesus's birthday must have come nine months later, on 25 December. But in fact the correspondence is spurious. As a result of the close proximity of dates, many Christians in western Europe continued to celebrate traditional Saturnalia customs in association with Christmas and the surrounding holidays. Like Saturnalia, Christmas during

6776-724: The traditional Christmas porridge in Scandinavia. Ernst von Bodelschwingh-Velmede Ernst Albert Karl Wilhelm Ludwig von Bodelschwingh auf Velmede (26 November 1794 – 18 May 1854) was a Prussian politician. Von Bodelschwingh-Velmede was born in Velmede, near Hamm in the County of Mark as the son of Franz Christoph Gisbert Friedrich Wilhelm von Bodelschwingh, Herr auf Velmede (1754–1827) and his wife Friederike Charlotte Sophie Wilhelmine Henriette von Bodelschwingh, née Freiin von Plettenberg. He studied Law and Cameralism at

6864-472: The use of every one; in memory of which way of life, it has been ordered that at the Saturnalia slaves should everywhere sit down with their masters at the entertainments, the rank of all being made equal." Although probably the best-known Roman holiday, Saturnalia as a whole is not described from beginning to end in any single ancient source. Modern understanding of the festival is pieced together from several accounts dealing with various aspects. The Saturnalia

6952-404: The visit of Hercules to Italy , the civilizing demigod insisted that the practice be halted and the ritual reinterpreted. Instead of heads to Dīs Pater, the Romans were to offer effigies or masks ( oscilla ) ; a mask appears in the representation of Saturnalia in the Calendar of Filocalus . Since the Greek word phota meant both 'man' and 'lights', candles were a substitute offering to Saturn for

7040-728: The women storm the town hall at 11:11 am. The working women celebrate at the workplace and go on a " trophyn " hunt, which consists of cutting off the ties of as many male colleagues as possible. On Carnival Sunday, hundreds of thousands from Düsseldorf, the Ruhr region and the Lower Rhine meet on Königsallee and in the Old Town to celebrate Carnival together. Many of the jesters can be found in costume and with originally decorated handcarts or bicycle superstructures, which primarily serve as storage space for provisions (beer, spirits, solid food). Since 1995,

7128-615: The world in the Golden Age , when humans enjoyed the spontaneous bounty of the earth without labour in a state of innocence . The revelries of Saturnalia were supposed to reflect the conditions of the lost mythical age. The Greek equivalent was the Kronia , which was celebrated on the twelfth day of the month of Hekatombaion, which occurred from around mid-July to mid-August on the Attic calendar . The Greek writer Athenaeus cites numerous other examples of similar festivals celebrated throughout

7216-407: Was common across western Europe, but varied considerably by region; in some places, the boy bishop's orders could become quite rowdy and unrestrained, but, in others, his power was only ceremonial. In some parts of France, during the boy bishop's tenure, the actual clergy would wear masks or dress in women's clothing, a reversal of roles in line with the traditional character of Saturnalia. During

7304-458: Was criticized by Christian apologists as a form of human sacrifice . Although there is no evidence of this practice during the Republic, the offering of gladiators led to later theories that the primeval Saturn had demanded human victims. Macrobius says that Dīs Pater was placated with human heads and Saturn with sacrificial victims consisting of men ( virorum victimis ). In mythic lore, during

7392-420: Was removed for the holiday as an act of liberation. The official rituals were carried out according to "Greek rite" ( ritus graecus ) . The sacrifice was officiated by a priest, whose head was uncovered; in Roman rite, priests sacrificed capite velato , with head covered by a special fold of the toga . This procedure is usually explained by Saturn's assimilation with his Greek counterpart Cronus , since

7480-482: Was responsible for the festivities, was supported by respected citizens of the city, including numerous artists, with the aim of giving the carnival an orderly structure and also making it attractive for the better classes. The oldest Düsseldorf carnival society is the Carnevalsverein pro 1829 , which later changed its name to Allgemeiner Verein der Carnevals-Freunde . This society was founded on 8 February 1829 in

7568-416: Was seen as a time of liberty for both slaves and freedmen alike. A common custom was the election of a "King of the Saturnalia", who gave orders to people, which were followed and presided over the merrymaking. The gifts exchanged were usually gag gifts or small figurines made of wax or pottery known as sigillaria . The poet Catullus called it "the best of days". Saturnalia was the Roman equivalent to

7656-402: Was the dramatic setting of the multivolume work of that name by Macrobius , a Latin writer from late antiquity who is the major source for information about the holiday. Macrobius describes the reign of Justinus's "king Saturn" as "a time of great happiness, both on account of the universal plenty that prevailed and because as yet there was no division into bond and free – as one may gather from

7744-451: Was the first day of the astrological sign Capricorn , the house of Saturn, the planet named for the god. Its proximity to the winter solstice (21 to 23 December on the Julian calendar) was endowed with various meanings by both ancient and modern scholars: for instance, the widespread use of wax candles (cerei, singular cereus) could refer to "the returning power of the sun's light after

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