Join #ConnectingCollections this month as we explore celebrations and religious holidays across the ancient world. Io Saturnalia—Happy Saturnalia! There's still one more day to celebrate the seven-day ancient Roman holiday, a time of merrymaking in honor of Saturn, god of seed-sowing and agriculture, in the hopes of a fruitful spring harvest. Ancient accounts give colorful descriptions of the festivities. In Rome, the holiday would start off with a religious ceremony in the Temple of Saturn, followed by a free public banquet open to all. The Roman poet Statius gave this five-star review of the emperor's Saturnalia feast: "Who can sing of the spectacle, the unrestrained mirth, the banqueting, the unbought feast, the lavish streams of wine? Ah! now I faint, and drunken with thy liquor drag myself at last to sleep." Gift exchanges were an important part of the holiday—popular gifts included small figurines made of wax or clay, wax candles, and oil lamps. During the dark days around th...