SACREA, a feast which the ancient Babylonians and other orientals held annually in honour of the deity Anaitis. The Sacrea were in the East what the Saturnalia were at Rome, namely, a feast for the slaves. One of the ceremonies was to choose a prisoner condemned to death, and to allow him all the pleasures and gratifications he could wish, before he was carried to execution.
SACREA
article · 377 chars · lineage ↗ · page image at NLS ↗