The Roman Saturnalia and Carnival Traditions in South East Nigeria: A Comparative Festive Study

The Roman Saturnalia, an annual festival of role reversal, social levelling, and communal excess, bears striking structural similarities with several West African festival traditions in which ordinary social hierarchies are temporarily suspended and communal solidarity is reaffirmed through ritual excess and performative inversion. This study examines parallels between the Roman Saturnalia and carnival-style festival traditions in South East Nigeria, focusing particularly on the Mmanwu masquerade festivals of the Igbo communities in Anambra and Enugu States. A comparative ethnographic-textual methodology was adopted, drawing on ancient sources (Macrobius's Saturnalia, Lucian's Saturnalia letters) alongside fieldwork observations at three Mmanwu festivals in Awka, Nnewi, and Nsukka, and interviews with 25 festival participants and cultural custodians. Findings reveal significant structural parallels in the temporary dissolution of normal social order, the use of masking and costuming to enact liminal social identities, and the communal feasting and gift exchange as mechanisms of social bonding. The reversal motif, where those of lower social status temporarily gain licence for social commentary and excess, appears in both traditions. Significant divergence occurs in the religious content: Mmanwu festivals are explicitly connected with ancestor veneration, whereas the Saturnalia's religious dimension is more ambiguous and largely civic. The study concludes that comparative festival anthropology enriches both classical and African studies and recommends joint Classical Studies and African Studies fieldwork modules.

Keywords: Saturnalia, Mmanwu masquerade, carnival traditions, festival anthropology, South East Nigeria