In our family, Halloween marks the beginning of the holiday season. By November, the ghosts and goblins have taken a back seat to turkey and stuffing — and then dreidels and Santa Claus come December. It’s a lineup of holidays that carries us into the New Year.
But modern humans aren’t the only ones who have been known to gather in the name of the holiday season. In fact, we’ve toasted to the gods, the New Year, and the new harvest since the birth of civilization. Ancient Egyptian, Roman, Mayan, and Greek societies also celebrated holidays and partied plenty. Here are a few of the most notable.
Saturnalia
Saturnalia is a festival deeply entrenched in ancient Roman culture and held significant importance in their calendar.
