THE SHOOTING STAR DECEMBER 2014 ISSUE The bi-monthly newsletter for Ascanius
Members Theme: Saturnalia N.B. – Since this issue is all about the
holiday of Saturnalia, we have moved the informative ÒHolidayÓ section
to the top of the page. Holiday: Saturnalia Saturnalia is a Roman holiday celebrating
the god Cronus (Roman name: Saturn). At the Temple of Saturn, the Romans
started the celebration by untying the ropes from around his statue, in order
to symbolically free him and return him to power. The Romans believed
that in very early times, when Saturn ruled the earth, there was a golden age
when all was harmonious in the world. For the Romans, Saturnalia was a chance to pretend that the golden age had
returned. The holiday was celebrated on
December 17th, during the week before the winter solstice. The length
of Saturnalia celebrations was usually between three and seven
days. A common greeting was the phrase, ÒIō, Sāturnālia!Ó (Iō is pronounced ÒYo.Ó) During Saturnalia, many rules were loosened. Gambling was allowed,
banquets were held, Romans sang naked in the streets, and the social order
was inverted. Slaves were given many freedoms which they did not
usually enjoy because the Romans believed that during the reign of Saturn, no
one was a slave. The freedom of slaves was part of the free spirit of
the season. There are many ways in which
Christmas and Saturnalia differ, but they share some similarities: both
holidays bring us close to loved ones, both holidays provide cheer during the
darkest time of the year, and both holidays offer hope for those who suffer.
Learning about Saturnalia is important because it teaches us about
those who came before us. Just as the holidays are a time for families
to gather from near and far, Saturnalia encourages us to connect with the
larger human family from the ancient times to the present day.
Main Feature: Two New Lesson Plans I. Celebrate Saturnalia! Background: Saturnalia
is a holiday which Romans celebrated during the month of December. Introduction: This
lesson reenacts aspects of the Saturnalia celebration and provides an opportunity
for students to learn about Roman religion. Special
Concerns: Every school has different rules
regarding holiday celebrations in class. If your school prefers class
time to be more structured during the holidays, it may be possible to have an
after school gathering or to run this event during a Latin club meeting. A
ÒSaturnalia in JanuaryÓ day could also be a fun option. Objectives: Students
will learn about the role of Saturn in Roman religion and will recognize
connections to modern winter celebrations. Materials: á
bag á
student names á
stuffed animal or action figure á
chalk/whiteboard marker á
copies of LetÕs celebrate Saturnalia! game board
and answer
sheet á
dice Preparation by the Teacher: 1.
In preparation for this event, the teacher
should place a stuffed animal or action figure against the board and tied or
hung there in some way. This item represents the statue of Saturn. 2.
Then, doodle a temple around the animal or
action figure. The temple should be called, ÒTemple of Saturn.Ó Procedures:
1.
To start this celebration, one studentÕs name
should be pulled from a big bag called ÒLord/Lady of Misrule.Ó In Roman
times, one person was chosen as the ÒLord of MisruleÓ and presided over the
Saturnalia ceremonies. 2.
The ÒLord of MisruleÓ should be given a
nametag with that title, and he or she should be given the task of untying
Saturn from his temple. 3.
When Saturn is untied, everyone claps and
begins to celebrate the holiday by eating Roman food, doing Roman-themed crossword
puzzles, and playing games. One suggested game is the LetÕs celebrate Saturnalia two-player board game included in the
materials above and ready for printing and playing! II. Card-writing Background: The
holidays are a time for writing cards and letting loved ones know we care.
This letter-writing lesson can work for many levels of Latin. For
beginning students, they can be asked to write only the salutation and
valediction in Latin. For advanced students, teachers can assign an
entire letter in Latin. Introduction: The
teacher should write the words salutation
and valediction on the board, and
ask whether the students recognize the Latin roots of these words. Salutation comes from the greeting
ÒSalvēÓ and valediction comes from ÒDīcereÓ (to say) + the Latin word for
goodbye, which is ÒValē.Ó Special Concerns: Students may celebrate a variety of
holidays, so it would be best to provide materials which include many colors
so that Christmas cards are not the only option. Objectives: Students
will learn salutations and valedictions in Latin. This knowledge will
provide a good foundation for reading Latin letters in later years. The
letters of Cicero and Pliny may provide nice templates for students who want
authentic examples of these phrases. Materials: á
paper á
colored pencils á
scissors á
any other craft materials for making holiday
cards Procedures: 1.
Teachers help students to pick paper and
materials for their holiday cards. 2.
Young Latin students can use a Latin greeting
from the adjective Òcārus,
-a, -um,Ó which means Òmy dear.Ó The vocative form used for addressing a man
is Òcāre,Ó and for
women is Òcāra.Ó 3.
For older students who have some familiarity
with Latin cases, the authentic, formulaic method of the Roman salutation can
be used: At the top of the card, write the name of the sender in the
nominative case, the name of the recipient in the dative case, and finally
the letters S.D. (salūtem
dīcit
– sends greetings) or the letters S.P.D. (salūtem plūrimam dīcit
– sends very many or fondest greetings). For example, Quīntus Flāviae
S.P.D. (Quintus sends fondest greetings to Flavia.) For beginning Latin
students, this could be a great way to review the dative case. If you are a non-Latin teacher who would like to give your students an extra
challenge by using this authentic method, here are some brief, basic
instructions: á
First have students select Roman
names from this list. á
To write the greeting line, each student
should first copy his or her own Roman name exactly as it is written on the
list above. This spelling of the name (ending in –us for the boys and –a
for the girls) is known as the nominative
case and is used for subjects.
Explain to students that since they are the people sending the cards, they
are the subjects. á
Then, each student should write the name of
his cardÕs recipient in the dative
case. Dative is used for a sentenceÕs indirect object, the person
who receives the action of the verb. Explain to students that since they
are sending greetings to another
person, that personÕs name will be written with a certain ending known as a
dative ending. Using the name list above, the boysÕ names can be made dative
by changing the –us ending to
–ō, and the girlsÕ names can be made dative
by changing the –a ending to –ae. á
A few
examples: o
If Augustus sends a card to Livia, the
greeting would read: Augustus (nominative) Liviae
(dative) S.D. Augustus
sends greetings to Livia. o
If Marcus sends a card to Quintus, the
greeting would read: Marcus (nominative) Quintō
(dative) S.D. Marcus sends greetings to Quintus. 4.
For the valediction, they can write either Òcūrā ut valeāsÓ
(be well) or Òfēlīcem hiememÓ (happy
winter). The Romans did not sign their names at the ending of a letter, since
the greeting at the top contained the senderÕs name.
1. http://gaudium-mundo.blogspot.com/ This website by Laura Gibbs provides at least one Latin
carol for each day in December. Teachers can use this website in many
ways. They can: á
Have students search for specific
Latin words within the songs. á
Sing the Latin version of familiar
carols as a class á
Have students use these phrases to
write their own, original carols.
Random Find: Gingerbread Cookies or Sour Patch Kids During
Saturnalia, it was a custom to eat human-shaped cookies. This is
because, as the myth goes, the god Saturn ate his children so that he would
not lose his power. Students can participate in this tradition by
eating gingerbread men or Sour Patch kids candy.
How
we found them: These can be easily purchased in grocery stores or convenience
stores. Gingerbread cookies can be baked at home. Possibility #1: Doodles Students
can place their human-shaped cookie on a piece of paper. Next, they can
doodle scenes around them (houses, forests, mountains, etc.) and write Latin
sentences which explain the image. Another fun way to bring life to
these cookies is to have students make speech bubbles with Latin words inside
so that the cookies can develop personalities. Possibility #2: Label parts of body
on gingerbread cut-out Students
can place their human-shaped cookie on a piece of paper, as in the previous
activity. Next, they can label the body parts of the cookie by drawing
lines and writing in the correct Latin word. For schools which have
rules regarding food in the classroom, this gingerbread coloring page can be a great way to
adapt this lesson and provide an opportunity for students to learn Latin
names of body parts.
Featured
Word: Saturday and chronology Each issue will feature a challenging English word that
we encourage you and your students to explore together. The English word will always come from
one or more Latin words. Saturday was called the Day of Saturn in Ancient Rome. Saturn
governed time and is also the deity worshipped during the holiday Saturnalia.
Saturn is known by the name Cronos in Greek mythology, and the word chronology
comes from his name. Chronological order is an order organized by the
time when certain events happened. For a word this long, it would
benefit students to have chances to practice saying the word aloud in order
to work on pronunciation.
Advice & Questions: What types
of foods could my students bring for a Saturnalia party? The following foods were enjoyed by
Romans during Saturnalia. They are easily found in supermarkets and
require no preparation: á dates á cheese á olives á pomegranates á grapes á figs á poppyseed pastries á people-shaped cookies Romans also ate many other food items
which could be difficult to incorporate into a lesson at school, such as nuts,
wine, and dormice! Some students who enjoy baking may,
instead, want to make these mouse-shaped treats (with candy ears instead of
almond ears): http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chocolate-mice/ |