Amidst the many holiday celebrations to be expected during winter season at North Allegheny, one particularly ancient feast was brought to life in the NAI cafeteria. On December 13th, NA’s Junior Classical League spent an evening celebrating Saturnalia, the ancient Roman festival of the harvest god Saturn.

While the usual bright and in-person festivities were briefly interrupted by COVID-19, the NA tradition returned this year: a large dinner, a strict toga-only dress code, and a traditional naming ceremony for new JCL members.

Students who attended Saturnalia were easily identified by their peculiar uniforms–everyone in attendance wore a sheet folded into the shape of a toga, the standard garment of an ancient Roman citizen.

“I personally really like wearing togas,” explained Noa Adelman, a JCL club officer in attendance. “I think it’s fun to experience a different culture, even if the culture is ancient.”

The garment is a JCL tradition unique to the Saturnalia celebration, though it was a dropped requirement in online years of the COVID pandemic. Now that the toga has returned, JCL members were excited to have the immersive factor back as a part of their holiday celebrations. 

“It was really fun to make them using different techniques and laugh about whether they turned out well or not,” said Jaycee Mae Faber, a junior member of JCL.

To further the immersion of the ancient holiday, new JCL members were welcomed through a traditional Roman naming ceremony that featured an announcement of their Latin name and the gift of a bulla, an amulet that was worn to protect Roman children from evil spirits. Centuries ago, this amulet commemorated the acceptance of a new child into the family.

Modern holiday traditions have also found a place in the celebration of Saturnalia. Students enjoyed a typical gift exchange.

“I ended up enjoying the gift exchange game the most,” Adelman recounted. “It is really fun to play, and you end up leaving with a gift!” 

Students shared their cheer by making personalized holiday cards for people unable to leave their homes all across the country. 

“I was most excited about making the cards,” said Kendall Lucas, a NASH junior who holds JCL’s Secretary position. “We had background information to make it more personalized.”

Another modern but eagerly awaited JCL tradition (another one that was suspended during the pandemic) was the officer skit, in which club officers transform into the beloved Cambridge Latin Course textbook characters–though this year’s skit featured a cameo appearance from the slightly less historical Taylor Swift. 

“This year, I was most excited to see the return of the legendary officer skit,” Adelman said. “Hearing everyone laugh was really nostalgic because I remember my first time seeing the officer skit.”

JCL’s lively Saturnalia celebration keeps millennia old traditions alive and proves that Latin isn’t nearly as dead of a language as one might think.