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021 - Greek Festivals · Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome

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  Speaker 1: Section twenty of Myths and Legends. This is a LibriVox recording.
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  Speaker 1: All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
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  Speaker 1: information or to volunteer, please visit librivops dot org. Myths
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  Speaker 1: and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome by E. M. Barons.
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  Speaker 1: Greek Festivals Eleusinian Mysteries. One of the most ancient and
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  Speaker 1: important among the festivals observed by the Greeks was that
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  Speaker 1: of the Eleusinian Mysteries, which was celebrated in honor of
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  Speaker 1: Demeter and Persephone. The name was derived from Eleusis, a
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  Speaker 1: town in Attica where the mysteries were first introduced by
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  Speaker 1: the goddess herself. They were divided into the Greater and
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  Speaker 1: lesser mysteries, and, according to the general account, were held
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  Speaker 1: every five years. The greater, which were celebrated in honor
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  Speaker 1: of Demeter and lasted nine days, were held in autumn.
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  Speaker 1: The lesser, dedicated to Persephone, who at these festivals was
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  Speaker 1: affectionately called Cora or the Maiden, were held in It
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  Speaker 1: is supposed that the secrets taught to the initiated by
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  Speaker 1: the priests the expounders of the mysteries were moral meanings
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  Speaker 1: elucidated from the myths concerning Demona and Persephone. But the
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  Speaker 1: most important belief inculcated was the doctrine of the immortality
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  Speaker 1: of the soul. That the lessons taught were of the
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  Speaker 1: highest moral character is universally admitted. The souls of those
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  Speaker 1: who participated in them were filled with the sweetest hopes,
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  Speaker 1: both as to this and to the future world, and
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  Speaker 1: it was a common saying among the Athenians in the mysteries,
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  Speaker 1: no one is sad. The initiation into these solemn rites,
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  Speaker 1: which was originally the exclusive privilege of the Athenians, was
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  Speaker 1: accompanied with awe inspiring ceremonies, and secrecy was so strictly
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  Speaker 1: enjoined that its violation was punished by death. At the
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  Speaker 1: conclusion of the initiation, great rejoicings took place, chariot races,
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  Speaker 1: wrestling matches, et cetera were held, and solemn sacrifices offered.
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  Speaker 1: The initiation into the lesser mysteries served as a preparation
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  Speaker 1: for the greater Thesmophoria. The Thesmaphoria was another festival held
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  Speaker 1: in honor of Demeter in her character as presiding over
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  Speaker 1: marriage and social institutions resulting from the spread of agriculture.
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  Speaker 1: This festival was celebrated exclusively by women. Dionysia, a joyous
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  Speaker 1: spring festival, was held in honor of Dionysius in the
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  Speaker 1: month of March and lasted several days. This festival, which
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  Speaker 1: was called the Greater Dionysia, was celebrated with a particular
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  Speaker 1: splendor at Athens, when strangers flocked from all parts of
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  Speaker 1: the world to take part in the ceremonies. The city
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  Speaker 1: was gaily decorated, the houses were garlanded with ivy leaves,
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  Speaker 1: crowds perambulated the streets. Everything wore its holiday garb, and
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  Speaker 1: wine was freely indulged in in the processions which took
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  Speaker 1: place during these festivities. The statue of Dionysus was carried
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  Speaker 1: and men and women crowned with ivy and bearing the Thyrsus,
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  Speaker 1: were dressed in every description of grotesque costume and played
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  Speaker 1: on drums, pipes, flutes, symbols, et cetera. Some representing Solinus
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  Speaker 1: wrote on assas, others wearing fawn skins appeared as pan
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  Speaker 1: or the sadders, and the whole multitude saying paieans to
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  Speaker 1: the honor of the wine God. Public shows, games and
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  Speaker 1: sports took place, and the entire city was full of revelry.
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  Speaker 1: What lent additional interest to these festivals was the custom
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  Speaker 1: of introducing new comedies and tragedies to the public, representations
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  Speaker 1: of which were given, and prizes awarded to those which
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  Speaker 1: elicited the greatest admiration. The lesser Dynysia were vintage festivals
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  Speaker 1: celebrated in rural districts in the month of November, and
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  Speaker 1: were characterized by drinking, feasting, and joviality of all kinds.
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  Speaker 1: In connection with some of the festivals in honor of
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  Speaker 1: Dionysus were certain mystic observances, into which only women called
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  Speaker 1: minides or bocantes initiated. Clad and fawnskins, they assembled by
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  Speaker 1: night on the mountain sides, some carrying blazing torches, others thercey,
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  Speaker 1: and all animated with religious enthusiasm and frenzy. They shouted,
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  Speaker 1: clapped their hands, danced wildly, and worked themselves up to
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  Speaker 1: such a pitch of excitement and fury that, in their
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  Speaker 1: mad frenzy they tore in pieces the animal brought as
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  Speaker 1: a sacrifice to Naineisus. Under the name of Bacchanalia, these
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  Speaker 1: mystic rites were introduced into Rome, where men also were
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  Speaker 1: allowed to participate in them, but they were attended with
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  Speaker 1: such frightful excesses that the state authorities at length intervened
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  Speaker 1: and prohibited them. Panathenaea the Panathenaea was a famous festival
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  Speaker 1: celebrated in Athens in honor of Athenepolius, the guardian of
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  Speaker 1: the state. There were two festivals of this name, the
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  Speaker 1: Lesser and the Greater Panathenaea. The former was held annually,
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  Speaker 1: and the latter, which lasted several days, was celebrated every
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  Speaker 1: fourth year. For the Greater Panathenaea, a garment embroidered with
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  Speaker 1: the gold, called the Peplus, was specially woven by Athenian maidens,
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  Speaker 1: on which was represented the victory gained by Athena over
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  Speaker 1: the giants. This garment was suspended to the mast of
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  Speaker 1: a ship which stood outside the city, and during the festival,
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  Speaker 1: which was characterized by a grand procession, the ship with
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  Speaker 1: the peplus on its masts was impelled forward by means
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  Speaker 1: of invisible machinery and formed the most conspicuous feature of
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  Speaker 1: the pageant. The whole population, bearing olive branches in their hands,
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  Speaker 1: took part in the procession, and amidst music, and rejoicings.
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  Speaker 1: This imposing pageant wended its way to the temple of Athenipolius,
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  Speaker 1: where the peplus was deposited on the statue of the goddess.
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  Speaker 1: At this festival, Homer's poems were declaimed aloud, and poets
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  Speaker 1: also introduced their own works to the public. Musical contests,
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  Speaker 1: foot and horse races, and wrestling matches were held, and
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  Speaker 1: dances were performed by boys in armor. Men who had
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  Speaker 1: deserved well of their country were presented at the festival
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  Speaker 1: with a crown of gold, and the name of the
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  Speaker 1: person so distinguished was announced publicly by a herald. The
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  Speaker 1: victors in the races and athletic games received as a
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  Speaker 1: prize a vase of oil supposed to have been extracted
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  Speaker 1: from the fruit of the sacred olive tree of Athena.
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  Speaker 1: The Daphnephoria. The Daphnephoria was celebrated at Thebes in honor
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  Speaker 1: of Apollo every ninth year. The distinguishing feature of this
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  Speaker 1: festival was a procession to the temple of Apollo, in
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  Speaker 1: which a young priest, the Daphnephorus of noble descent, splendidly
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  Speaker 1: attired in wearing a crown of gold was preceded by
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  Speaker 1: a youth carrying an emblematical representation of the sun, moon, stars,
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  Speaker 1: and days of the year, and followed by beautiful maidens
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  Speaker 1: bearing laurel branches and singing hymns in honor of the gods.
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  Speaker 1: End of Section twenty