What was the name of the Roman festival honoring the god Saturn?

Saturnalia was the Roman festival honoring the god Saturn.

The festival began on 17 December and was later extended to several days. It included public celebrations, feasting, gifts, and a temporary relaxation of normal social conventions. Courts and schools could close, and people commonly exchanged small presents such as wax candles or figurines.

One distinctive feature was the temporary reversal of status conventions. Enslaved people could participate in banquets and sometimes speak with unusual freedom, while a symbolic “king” might be chosen for the festivities. These customs did not abolish slavery or permanently change Roman law.

Saturnalia is often linked loosely with later winter celebrations because of its date and gift-giving, but it was a distinct Roman religious festival. Lupercalia honored fertility and purification, Bacchanalia involved Bacchus, and Floralia honored Flora.