Ancient Roman winter festival celebrated in December honoring Saturn, featuring role reversals and merrymaking among all social classes.
From Latin Brumalia, derived from bruma meaning 'winter solstice' or 'shortest day.' The festival name comes from the astronomical event it commemorated, evolving into a general term for December festivities.
The Romans basically invented Saturnalia's sister holiday—a time when social rules flipped upside down. Enslaved people were served by their masters and everyone partied together, making it one of history's most fascinating experiments in temporary social equality.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.