Saturnalia was the ancient Roman festival held in late December that influenced some later European festive customs.
The festival honored Saturn and originally took place on December 17, later expanding to several days. Roman celebrations included public sacrifices, feasting, gift-giving, and a temporary relaxation of normal social conventions. Businesses and courts closed during parts of the festival, and people commonly wore the pileus, a soft cap associated with manumission and freedom.
Saturnalia is often connected in popular accounts with Christmas or New Year's traditions, but historians distinguish the festivals and avoid claiming a simple one-to-one origin. Saturnalia was a Roman religious festival, not the name of the modern New Year's holiday.
The Roman calendar's year eventually began on January 1, while Saturnalia remained a December observance. The festival honored Saturn, whereas January was named for Janus. That difference helps prevent the common mix-up between Saturnalia and the origin of January's name.