The Romans celebrated their God Saturn with a week long festival called Saturnalia at the Winter Solstice. The festival ran from the 17th December to the 23rd December.  They decorated their homes with laurels celebrated with large feasts, exchanged gifts and made merry. Slaves were also unpunishable by their masters during Saturnalia and so a great deal of disrespect was given duirng this time of the year.

Today Llanwrtyd Wells celebrates the Saturnalia festival in Janurary each year.  The festival has a wealth of food and drink includes Lumbuli Assi Ita Fiunt - better known as small roast lamb's testicles, and a local brewed Absinthium Romanum, which is made from traditional local ingrediance.  There is of course plenty of other food which are a bit more mainstream such as roast hams and stuffed chickens. 

The festival is also combined with a series of walks and mountain bike rides, many of which follow old Roman roads and rights of way.

So don your toga (thats just a white sheet to wrap around you) and laurel wreath and head to Llanwrtyd Wells for some really fun Roman festivities.  

The festival will be on the 13th/14th January for 2007.