Saturnalia

[ sat-er-ney-lee-uh, -neyl-yuh ]

/ ˌsæt ərˈneɪ li ə, -ˈneɪl yə /

(sometimes used with a plural verb) the festival of Saturn, celebrated in December in ancient Rome as a time of unrestrained merrymaking.

(lowercase) unrestrained revelry; orgy.

Origin of Saturnalia

1585–95; < Latin Sāturnālia, equivalent to Sāturn(us) Saturn + -ālia, neuter plural of -ālis -al¹

Sat·ur·na·li·an, adjective

That is the sense of the Saturnalia, of Mardi Gras and of these moments of entertainment.

Joseph Campbell on the Roots of Halloween |Joseph Campbell |October 31, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Rickman, however, had not thought of his Saturnalia as a source of revenue.

The Divine Fire |May Sinclair
It's only the last week (when the Saturnalia were getting better and better) that he graciously permitted his initials to appear.

The Divine Fire |May Sinclair
I believe that among the masses of the people the Roman saturnalia still survive.

History of English Humour, Vol. 1 (of 2) |Alfred Guy Kingan L'Estrange

But you took refuge here, it seems, at the very celebration of the Saturnalia, out of sobriety.

The Works of Horace |Horace
The marquis, however, while he permitted these saturnalia, invariably held aloof.

The Grey Cloak |Harold MacGrath

Saturnalia

/ (ˌsætəˈneɪlɪə) /

an ancient Roman festival celebrated in December: renowned for its general merrymaking

(sometimes not capital) a period or occasion of wild revelry

Saturnalian, adjective

C16: from Latin Sāturnālis relating to Saturn 1