The Re-invention of the Kalends of January in Late Antiquity: A Public Festival Between "Pagans" and Christians

Abstract:The late antique Kalends of January (Kalendae Ianuariae) are often labeled a "pagan survival." However, the Kalends were neither solely "pagan" nor a "survival," but rather a re-invented public festival between "pagans" and Christians (and others). "Survival" paints a triumphalist picture that mis-represents the historical situation, ignoring the stark differences between the homespun late republican, early imperial Kalends celebrated only at Rome and the rowdy, at times transgressive, empire-wide festival that emerged by the end of the fourth century ce. Re-invention, not survival, better captures the chasm between the two. Likewise, "pagan" misconstrues the late antique celebration, which may have offered an increasingly rare opportunity to be "pagan" in public. Still, Christians also exchanged New Year's gifts and even masqueraded as traditional gods. In short, the Kalends was a collaborative venture—not a "pagan survival," but a re-invented (unsanctioned or popular) public festival, whose production and practice crossed religious affiliations.