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Io Saturnalia! Ancient Rome’s Winter Holiday

Candles were a common gift to give during the Ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia.

Io Saturnalia! Ancient Rome’s Winter Holiday

During the dark winter months, ancient Romans turned to Saturn, the god of farming and the harvest. He was celebrated in a days-long festival called Saturnalia, originally taking place on December 17 but eventually extended to December 23. This public holiday brought a carnival-like atmosphere and included animal sacrifices and feasting, as many Roman holidays did.

What did pagans do during Saturnalia?

Societal rules were set aside for Saturnalia, so the usual strict social boundaries were ignored. This extended to slaves and their masters: it was common for these roles to be reversed during the festival. Some households would elect a “King of Saturnalia” or a Lord of Misrule, who had permission to cause mischief and chaos during the festival.  Activities such as gambling and drinking in excess were prominent during Saturnalia, as they were normally discouraged in Roman society. 

Romans typically adorned their homes with evergreen foliage and wore their finest clothing during the celebrations. Of course, it couldn’t be a holiday without a proper feast for the whole community. Lavish banquets were organized by prominent leaders, and townspeople all chipped in and brought their finest food and wine. 

Offerings and prayers would be given to Saturn, showing thanks for a good harvest and ensuring a successful farming season in the next year. At the Temple of Saturn, priests would ritualistically unbind the feet of the god's statue, symbolizing Saturn’s joining the celebrations.

What are the traditional gifts of Saturnalia?

Another prominent activity during Saturnalia included gift-giving. Close friends and family members would exchange small, low-cost gifts as a sign of affection. These gifts were usually handmade by the giver during the festival. Some common gifts to give during Saturnalia were silver, preserved fruits, and small clay or wooden figures known as sigilla. 

Candles were the most common gift to give during Saturnalia. They were lit during the festival much like advent candles are used today. Typically the last day of Saturnalia, called the Sigillaria, was dedicated to gift-giving and opening presents.

Is Saturnalia still celebrated today?

Do lavish feasting, evergreen decorations, and gift-giving all sound familiar? That is because, when Catholicism took over the Roman Empire, parts of the Saturnalia celebration were pieced together to make the modern Christmas holiday. Although Christmas has largely taken over our winter holiday season, there are a number of modern pagans that include Saturnalia in their practice. 

You can easily follow suit and work elements of the Saturnalia festival into your own practice, especially if you already work with Saturn or Saturnian energy. A good first step would be to make offerings to Saturn or Kronos, his Greek counterpart. Great offerings would be red wine, meat, dark fruits, or incense. You can even mimic the ritual of unbinding Saturn’s feet with a bit of cloth and a statue to represent the god. Candles are an important part of Saturnalia because they represent the promise of the return of the light in the dark of winter. You can dress a candle with oils and herbs as part of your worship. 

Most importantly, indulge in old-fashioned hedonism this season: wear your finest clothes, play your favorite music, and feast to your heart's content—embracing the true spirit of Saturnalia. Any supplies you wish to gather for your rituals can be found online or in our brick-and-mortar store. Io Saturnalia!

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  • January 14, 2026

    Walking in the Dream World

    By Abby Thorn
    Walking in the Dream World

    Dreams have been a source of fascination and bewilderment to humans for millennia. Throughout our existence, we have tried to explain and interpret our dreams. We have used dreams as tools for self-discovery, artistic inspiration, and even channels for divine communication. Dreamwork is the mechanism for harnessing the power of our dreams. 

    What is Dreamwork?

    Dreamwork encompasses a multitude of spiritual and therapeutic practices that focus on your dreams. Sigmund Freud was known for having a particular interest in deciphering dreams to reveal what the subconscious mind is trying to manifest. This part of dreamwork is called dream interpretation, where the querent analyzes symbols and recurring motifs from their dreams to interpret a message from the subconscious. As a therapeutic practice, a qualified therapist will act as a guide for the querent, allowing them to explore the thoughts and patterns from their dreams and come to their own conclusions. 

    Other than being a conduit to the unconscious mind, dreams have always been considered tools for contacting spiritual entities and a means for divination and receiving prophetic messages. The Oneirocritica is an ancient Greek text from the 2nd century that lays out a detailed framework for interpreting symbols in dreams, which includes divinatory delinations. The Bible even mentions certain prophets receiving symbolic dreams containing warnings about the future. 


    What can you use Dreamwork for?

    Dreamwork can be incorporated into your magical or spiritual practice in numerous ways. You can work more closely with deities or other entities that are harder to contact in the waking world by inviting them to visit you in your dreams. Dreams may come to you as a response to recent spellwork, confirming the effects of a spell. 

    You can use your dreams as a tool to look into the future, or dreams can be a conduit to receiving prophecies from the divine. Lucid dreaming, where the dreamer is aware of being in a dream, can be a tool used for shadow work or revisiting past events to work through trauma. 

    Preparations for Dreamwork

    Dreams can feel uncontrollable at the start of your journey, and learning to harness them as a tool is a deeply personal experience. It will take considerable time and a lot of trial and error to find what works best for you. 

    To begin, you should find a way to record your dreams, like a journal (paper or digital) or a recording device. Keep your dream journal next to where you sleep so you can record as soon as you wake. You will find that some dreams don’t have much meaning in them, but others will stand out as significant to you. 

    Before you go to sleep, you will want to set a ritual to induce dreaming and give those dreams a direction. Magical teas, tinctures, or ritual baths can be a good starting point. Incorporate herbs and ingredients that correspond to your intention: if you want to peer into the future, herbs like mugwort or wormwood will enhance divinatory powers. If you are looking to connect with a deity, you may make an offering to them just before bed, inviting them to contact you in the dream world. 

    While you are sleeping, it may be helpful to have a charm or talisman with you to focus your dream on your purpose and to provide protection from baneful entities. You can hold it in your hand or keep it under your pillow (as a safety precaution, it is not advised to wear anything around your neck while sleeping). Charms to block nightmares are helpful, as those dreams tend to be less productive, unless you are doing shadow work. Visiting the dream world can be exhilarating and frightening all at the same time, but having the right tools and resources will help you get the most out of your experience. You can find all of the tools mentioned above at Asheville Raven & Crone.

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  • December 15, 2025

    Discover Baba Yaga, the Slavic Forest Crone

    By Abby Thorn
    Discover Baba Yaga, the Slavic Forest Crone

    This month, we venture into the dark forest of Eastern European folklore to meet the frightful yet fascinating Baba Yaga. Famous for her roaming house with legs, Baba Yaga has a reputation for being the ultimate ambiguous entity, helping and hurting as she sees fit. Children who grew up in Slavic households will have heard her name as a threat against misbehaving, yet some witches today view her story holistically and find that she has many lessons to teach.

    Where is Baba Yaga from?

    The Baba Yaga appears in many Slavic folk tales, but particularly in Eastern Slavic mythology (modern-day Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus). The first written account of Baba Yaga dates back to 1755 as part of a discourse on the book Russian Grammar by Mikhail V Lomonosov.

    Depictions of the Baba Yaga can be found in artwork from throughout the 17th century. 

    She is often described as a crone who lives in a birch wood, in a house atop a pair of chicken feet. She moves around using a black kettle in some stories, and in a mortar driven with a pestle in other stories. She conjures storms along her path when she travels. The Baba Yaga has inspired many characters in modern art and entertainment, such as the spa proprietor in Spirited Away. 

    Who (or What) is Baba Yaga?

    It is contested whether or not the Baba Yaga is a singular figure or a classification of spirits, such as sirens, harpies, or vampires. She is sometimes referred to as an ogress, and in other stories, Baba Yaga refers to three entities in one. For simplicity, we will continue to refer to Baba Yaga as a singular character in this post.

    Baba Yaga does not fit neatly into one description: across her folk tales, she plays the role of both malefic and benefic spirit. Cannibalism is a core feature of Baba Yaga’s character, and she is probably most infamous for eating children. She often travels alongside Death, consuming newly released souls. 

    Many scholars of Slavic folklore consider the Baba Yaga to be a proto-feminist figure, especially considering her depiction in the tale of Vasilisa the Wise (or Brave). In this story, Baba Yaga is associated with protection and ancestral knowledge. It is also suggested from this story that she is a primordial goddess, complicit in the creation of the world.

    Working with Baba Yaga.

    If you are interested in or currently working with Crone energy, Baba Yaga may be an entity worth exploring. The name “Baba” itself suggests a familial role, such as a Grandmother, who may offer the wisdom that comes with life experience. Being an entity that walks the line between malefic and benefic, Baba Yaga would be a great energy to call upon for any baneful magic as well as protection spells. 

    Offerings to Baba Yaga would include vodka, tobacco, or items collected from the forest. Other correspondences would include a mortar and pestle, the hearth and fire, and a broom. Your journey with Baba Yaga will require resilience, resourcefulness, and courage. Whatever your needs, the staff at Asheville Raven & Crone will help guide you down your chosen path.

     

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