Roman Toga Party 2015

Festive lights sparkle from ancient hills' rich villas where imperial ambitions were born. Myriad beacons stave off the Eternal City's dark midwinter murk. Saturnalia's festivals are now complete. The servile toil to pour libations from splashing amphorae into gem encrusted chalices of their togate masters.

Campaign season lies months hence, after spring's thaw. War's gleaming instruments are sheathed this night. Conquerors' bejeweled fists instead lift goblets high to honored friends and beloved family. Antiquity's noble plunderers revel in salutation of New Year's shining hopes and crimson destinies.

In purple frescoed villas and marble halls of the Roman great, the glowing promise of a new day is deified on such a night as New Year's Eve as Janus, the twin-faced God of Gates. He stands as the mystical personification of transition. Transition between what has been and what will be. Between past and future, memory and imagination, knowledge and fear. Between hearth's comfort and the benighted gulfs of the endless void. Janus stands with us as we stand together – at the threshold of eternity.

With immortal Janus, we will greet the new year together and unafraid. We will toast with ceremony and decorum our memories of shared glories in years gone by. We will toast with roaring Bacchanalian excess the unparalleled prosperity we will carve from 2008 under the golden Eagles of Empire. And most importantly, we will honor those many cherished friendships that make our history so memorable and our future so bright.

Sounds like a Toga Party!

Ave to all of our beloved friends, Romans, and countrymen,

Tatiana and I invite you to our home to welcome the New Year at Rome 's annual and traditional Toga Party. This traditional party has long been called our celebration of our traditions. But it is more than that. It is our way of honoring our bonds, our chance to celebrate our cherished friendships and the times we share. This will be our only party in 2009, we intend for it to be through the roof. This year has represented for us some special and prodigious victories in our personal lives. A dream job for me, the birth of our son, and a daughter on the way. But more than that, this year has seen Rome grow with great new Romans and the happy anticipation of increased strength to be measured next year in Legions. Let’s gather together to celebrate the New Year, reminded of Rome ’s heart and strength, basking in the glow of each others’ friendships. Join us for our collective celebration of Rome .

The decade we leave behind has been a challenge for many great Romans and friends. But despite the many sorrows in or world, the 2000’s have been a defining and proud decade for us as a group, Rome’s greatest and grandest years to date. This New Years we will celebrate our countless triumphs and accomplishments, both on the field and in our personal lives. Beyond our shared friendships and experiences, we all have much to be thankful for. Rome has grown, and our families have grown. We have new children and even grandchildren in our collective folds, making our futures shine even brighter. Many of us have enjoyed singularly successful achievements throughout this year, or have paved our way to next year’s grand accomplishments in the form of marriages, freedom, and career advancement. 2015 has been a year to remember for us all, a sometimes bumpy ride to our respective shining prizes. Let’s reflect together, celebrating our successes and growth, sharing our good times as we turn together to face a shining and golden new decade.

We recognize that many of our invited guests have standing plans or are too distant and that the unfortunate geography which separates us will prevent you from attending. We are extending the invitation as always in the spirit of friendship to our many friends. I want to take this opportunity to wish you and yours a splendid holiday season, and to assure you that we will lift our glasses to toast our absent and distant friends. I hope the New Year brings you happiness, and look forward to sharing that happiness at Ragnarok or Pennsic, or wherever our roads may cross. Please know we treasure your continued friendship.

Again this year, the party will be kid friendly until later hours. Tat and I will both have our firstborn in attendance, we hope that the Roman festivities will meet the needs of so many of you who’ve begun your own families. While the party is kid friendly, the villa is not child proof, nor will our progeny have the run of the house. But they’ll be made welcome and kept entertained, provided some adult supervision, and be put happily to be to dream sweet dreams of bloody Roman conquest while their parents happily toast the Pax Romana.

Happiest of Saturnalia holidays and warmest wishes to you all and to your families. May the holidays find you surrounded by worthy friends and family, basking deservedly in the warmth and happiness of hearth and home.

All of that said, please come help us build a New Year's Eve memory as eternal as Rome herself at our New Year's Eve Toga Party! We hope that you will attend to share the festivities.

See you at the party, dear friends, and Gods bless!

Roma Æternum!
Dominus and Tatiana
Your grateful Imperator and his Lady

This is a party sponsored by and for the Senate and People of Rome and their invited guests! If you have not been invited, write to a Roman and make sure it's okay. If you're a friend of Rome you're certainly welcome, provided you know how to behave in the Villa Dominus. Stumbling on to this page does NOT qualify as an invitation.

PC Users: Here's the font you want!

Answer: Ancient Romans held their New Year's Eve parties ON New Year's Eve! Duh!!!!

Actually (i.e., the history geek answer) the historic Roman New Year was traditionally March 1. The beginning of spring. That gave the new Consuls of the year two weeks before the traditional campaign season began. Two weeks to muster and mobilize Legions and prepare to carry on that grand old martial tradition of war that made Rome such a hit among her neighbors.