The Saturnalia was initially a Roman festival in honor of the god Saturn, originally as an EN on Day 17 December was celebrated and moved to the Julian calendar reform of the daily character to NP status. The Saturnalia found only after 45 BC as a multi-day festival between 17 and 23 December application, but later to 30 December has been extended.

The date goes back to the founding date the temple of Saturn in the Roman Forum.

The celebrations began with a sacrifice before the temple of Saturn and a public feast. Public institutions were closed during the Saturnalia. The temple held public feeding. It was customary to give gifts to the Saturnalia.

The most important aspect of the Saturnalia was the abolition of class distinctions, even slaves were treated on that day by their masters as equals, in part, the roles were actually reversed, so that the men served their slaves. It was a Saturnalia prince (princeps Saturnalicus chosen), in part, this was also Bibendi rex (“king of drinking”) called.  

This name also point to the strong increase in wine consumption down during the holidays. Not only the wine was drunk during the holidays to a great extent, it was officially allowed the dice game for money. Even otherwise, the morality eased considerably during the holidays.

In some German universities (such as Cologne and Kiel) are now traditional “Saturnalia” organized as a student party in which one settles into the festive season with the lecturers “.

Source: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturnalien

See Also: idul fitri, hamper hari raya, hari raya hampers

Most mooncakes consist of a thin tender skin enveloping a sweet, dense filling. The mooncake may contain one or more whole salted egg yolks in its center to symbolize the full moon. Very rarely, mooncakes are also served steamed or fried.

Traditional mooncakes have an imprint on top consisting of the Chinese characters for “longevity” or “harmony” as well as the name of the bakery and the filling in the moon cake. Imprints of the moon, the Chang’e woman on the moon, flowers, vines, or a rabbit (symbol of the moon) may surround the characters for additional decoration.

Mooncakes are considered a delicacy; production is labor-intensive and few people make them at home. Most mooncakes are bought at Asian markets and bakeries. The price of mooncakes usually ranges from $10 to $50 (in US dollars) or around £5 to £35 in pounds for a box of four although cheaper and more expensive mooncakes can also be found.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mooncake

See also: Idul Fitri, Hamper Hari Raya, Hari Raya Hampers

Mooncakes are Chinese pastries traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival / Zhongqiu Festival. The festival is for lunar worship and moon watching; moon cakes are regarded as an indispensable delicacy on this occasion. Mooncakes are offered between friends or on family gatherings while celebrating the festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the three most important Chinese festivals.

Typical mooncakes are round or rectangular pastries, measuring about 10 cm in diameter and 4-5 cm thick. A thick filling usually made from lotus seed paste is surrounded by a relatively thin (2-3 mm) crust and may contain yolks from salted duck eggs. Mooncakes are usually eaten in small wedges accompanied by Chinese tea.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mooncake

See also: Lebaran, Hari Raya, Ramadan Gift