Everybody exchanged candles to help the sun get through the winter.

Saturnalia was originally a feast of dedication in the Temple of Saturn in His guise as the God of crops & sowing. The event that took place on December 17th after all the fall planting had been done, although it soon extended for a whole week despite the attempts of various authorities to restrict it. The ropes that bound the feet of Saturn's statue were untied on that day, a symbolic act accompanied by sacrifices that liberated the God, who later became personified as Old Father Time - the bent, robed figure whose sickle "chopped down" the harvest of passing hours. The Saturnalia was a time for the relaxation of the usual rules. Informal clothing replaced the toga, gambling was legal, & feasting was the norm. Slaves were (temporarily) free, & were even served a banquet by their masters. Gifts were exchanged including combs, writing tablets, perfumes, sausages, books, parrots & candles.