"The Purge" Was Real: How Ancient Rome’s Saturnalia Festival Turned into Chaos

The Purge cosplay.Photo byFlickr.

Imagine a world where, for an entire week, all laws were suspended. A time when the social order crumbled, violence and immorality reigned, and chaos swept through the streets. While this may sound like a dystopian horror plot straight out of “The Purge” movie series, it’s actually rooted in reality.

Ancient Rome’s festival of Saturnalia, which ran from December 17th to 25th, was a lawless celebration that bears an unsettling resemblance to the fictional purge.

Saturnalia: A Week of Lawlessness

Saturnalia began as an innocent festival, tied to agricultural worship and the winter solstice when Romans honored Saturn, the god of agriculture. Initially a single-day event, Saturnalia quickly evolved into a week-long festival by 120 A.D., where Rome’s social rules were discarded, and the motto became “anything goes.”

What started as feasts and sacrifices soon morphed into a chaotic spree of indulgence and mischief.

During Saturnalia, societal roles were reversed. Masters traded places with slaves, children were encouraged to disobey their parents, and the poor were treated like royalty. This inversion of the social order provided a stark contrast to Rome’s typically rigid class system, where the wealthy ruled and the poor served.

Now, for one week, power dynamics shifted, offering a temporary reprieve from the oppressive norms of Roman society.

The Purge movies.Photo byScreenrant.com

A Controlled Explosion of Chaos

Why did Roman rulers encourage this temporary descent into chaos? It was a strategic move to maintain control over the masses. By allowing citizens to vent their frustrations and indulge their darkest desires during Saturnalia, the empire’s rulers believed that it would prevent unrest and revolt.

The idea was that this annual purge would act as a "release valve," enabling the population to let off steam and thus reduce crime and violence throughout the rest of the year.

But the reality of Saturnalia was much darker than just harmless fun. Without the constraints of law and order, the streets of Rome became a hotbed of criminal activity. Petty theft, vandalism, drunken brawls, and even more sinister acts such as rape and murder were not uncommon during the festival.

With courts closed and executions postponed, there was no one to stop these acts of violence, and victims had no recourse. In many cases, the “holiday” became an excuse to settle personal grudges or exact revenge, with deadly consequences.

Rituals and Sacrifices

Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of Saturnalia was the tradition of the "mock king." A slave or lowly member of society was crowned as the “Saturnalian monarch” for a day, given food, drink, and luxury, only to be ritually sacrificed at the end of the festivities.

This grim practice was believed to symbolize the destruction of darkness and the renewal of life, but for the unfortunate souls chosen, it was a terrifying fate.

Saturnalia’s brutal nature, coupled with its lawless freedom, made it a dangerous time to be on the streets of Rome. Despite its origins in joy and abundance, Saturnalia often brought out the worst in people, much like the fictional purge in the movies.

The Decline of Saturnalia

As Christianity spread through the Roman Empire, Saturnalia began to lose its prominence. Emperor Constantine’s conversion to Christianity in 312 A.D. marked the beginning of the festival’s decline.

By 449 A.D., Saturnalia had been replaced by Christmas, a more peaceful and controlled celebration. However, many traditions of Saturnalia, such as decorating with greenery, exchanging gifts, and feasting, persisted and were absorbed into Christmas customs.

Could a Purge Happen Today?

While the idea of a purge, both in ancient Rome and Hollywood, serves as an intriguing thought experiment, the reality would likely be devastating in the modern world.

A real-life purge would exacerbate social inequality, as only the wealthy could afford protection, while the vulnerable would suffer. It would wreak havoc on economies, especially in sectors like insurance, real estate, and small businesses. As history shows, lawlessness doesn’t lead to peace—it often results in tragedy.

So, while Saturnalia may be fascinating to study, it’s a tradition best left in the past. Let’s keep our holidays merry and bright, without the chaos and destruction that plagued ancient Rome.