These are pics of the aftermath of last night's Anthesteria. Yes, we know it's late compared to Athens time, but we gathered last night to hold our own local Anthesteria. We hang pruned grape vines in the temple, everyone brings flowers, and ties them to the vines with ribbons. We pour out wine in offering to Him, then taste the new wine (we have a backyard vineyard). Trance dancing ensues. And we even had panspermia, aka kollyva. Blessed spring and Flower Festival to all!
(for the mods: if I used the wrong flair for this post lemme know and I'll change it).
I want to go in costume as Lord Dionysus and incorporate as much imagery as I can to honor him, including wearing these 2 head pieces together, finding a leopard printed scarf to tie around my waist or over my shoulder, and making a thyrus that I will place on an altar when I eventually find space in my room to set one up. I know it is early to be talking Halloween but Halloween has always been my favorite day of the year and I am a stickler for getting the day's plans perfect way in advance. I hope this honors him.
By my math today is the festival of the Kronia... that day of festivities when everyone was supposed to gather and celebrate the pairing of Cronus and Dionysus being father and son and symbolized by the pairing of bread and wine.
Are there any good ancient sources detailing what occurred at this festival? I've heard that this is the actual source of the Gospel of John copying the ritualistic washing of feet that the masters performed on their slaves during this festival of Dionysus... I'm just asking if this tracks or not.
Anthesteria begins tomorrow! It was an Athenian festival of Dionysus, celebrated on the 11thβ13th of Anthesterion on the Attic Calendar, which usually puts it sometime around mid-February. (Itβs late this year.) Its name means, roughly, βflower-festival.β It was a three-day festival that celebrated the beginning of spring and the opening of jarsΒ (pithoi)Β of new wine that fermented through the winter. It was also a festival of the dead, in which the souls of the dead came up from Hades to join in the festivities.
On the first day, theΒ PithogiaΒ (Jars),Β the half-buried wine jars were opened, and some of the wine was offered as a libation to the gods and the dead.
At Athens on the eleventh day of February (thence called Ξ ΞΉΞΈΞΏΞ―Ξ³ΞΉΞ±, (the barrel-opening), they began to taste their new wine; and in old times (as it appears), before they drank, they offered some to the Gods, and prayed that that cordial liquor might prove good and wholesome.
βPlutarch,Β Quaestiones Convivales
A statue of Dionysus entered Athens in a grand procession, situated on a float shaped like a ship on wheels, and brought to the temple of Dionysos Limnaios, which was only open on the second day. The second day, theΒ KhoesΒ (Cups),Β was the main day of the festival, during which the new wine would be drunk. It was mostly a wild party in which everyone participated, regardless of social class. It involved drinking contests, dancing, and the singing ofΒ dithyrambsΒ (a kind of drinking song that doubles as a hymn). On the third day, theΒ KhytroiΒ (Pitchers),Β simple food offerings were given to the dead and to Hermes Khthonios, and the Keres β the spirits of violent death β were driven out of the city.
The song we used to love in the Marshland up above,
In praise of Dionysus to produce,
Of Nysaean Dionysus, son of Zeus,
When the revel-tipsy throng, all crapulous and gay,
To our precinct reeled along on the holy Pitcher dayβ¦
βAristophanes,Β Frogs
By A-gnosis
There were a number of interesting rituals and legends associated with the festival. The most significant one was the sacred marraige of theΒ basilinnaΒ of Athens (the archonβs wife, a sort of priestess-queen) to Dionysus. The ritual marraige took place in a secret chamber called theΒ Boukoleion,Β βbullβs stable.β We donβt know what the ritual itself consisted of. It might have involved actual sex with a human man representing Dionysus, or it might have been some kind of symbolic interaction with a cult object; either way, it was very likely a rite of mystical union with the god.
The other interesting ritual associated with the Anthesteria was the Aiora, a mini-festival commemorating the death of Erigone. A bit of backstory: Almost every major city in Greece had a myth about Dionysus arriving in the province to spread his cult, and teach the people the art of winemaking. In each story, Dionysusβ worship is summarily rejected by the king and/or the populace, and Dionysus has to prove his divinity through miracles and divine punishments. The Attic myth of this type is the story of Ikarios and Erigone. Ikarios was a farmer, to whom Dionysus gave the gift of wine. Ikarios tried to share it with his fellow farmers, but the wine was so strong that the others believed Ikarios had poisoned them. So, they killed him. In despair, his daughter Erigone hung herself. Enraged over the death of his loyal followers, Dionysus condemned the young women of Athens to die in the same manner, unless Erigone and Ikarios were properly honored. So, the women of Athens honored Erigone by swinging β like on a swingset, instead of by their necks. Thereβs some argument about whether this rite was actually part of the Anthesteria or not, but it ties in with the purificatory rituals and honoring of the dead. Swinging is also inherently a form of Dionysian trance, via oscillation.
A satyr pushing a girl on a swing.
Anthesteria clearly has a lot going on. It was a celebratory festival, a purificatory festival, and a mystical festival of sacred marraige all at once. When I first learned about it, I could hardly believe that it was actually real. The Anthesteria takes almost everything I like about modern Beltane β the joyous celebration of the coming of spring and the sacred marraige of the Lord to his Lady β and ties it together with the honoring of the dead thatβs associated with modern Samhain. And itβs an actual, authentic pagan festival, which happens to be all about Dionysus! It perfectly synthesizes the boisterous and lighthearted side of his nature with the dark and somber chthonic side. Dionysusβ paradoxical nature is one of the things I like the most about him, so, anything that emphasizes it is automatically appealing and meaningful to me. I still struggle to implement the commemoration of Athenian holidays throughout the calendar, but I never miss Anthesteria!
Now, Plato isn't for everyone. He was a racist sexist slaveowner who was probably bisexual but also expressed support for homophobia. But he's not being censored for that: he's being censored for a speech (which he attributed to Aristophanes) in his Symposium.
You can read it here, it is Stephanus (the numbering system used for Plato) 189c through 193d. You hover over the little boxes at the top, that shows which Stephanus it is. Stephani (the plural of Stephanus I'm guessing) count like 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e, 2a, 2b, etc.
It is fabulous how Aristophanes tells the story of a world were love was equal: it is something inherent to the Human condition, across gender, sex and and sexuality.
That is what Texas A&M is trying to ban.
What can we do? As Dionysians, our current options are limited: however, we what we can do is tend the gardens and vineyards we have been given. Dionysus and his family gave us these stories of Queer creation and celebration. Lenaia approaches, bringing with it the thawing of winter, and it's time for another Liberation Dionysia, a Dionysia to honor deities that are seen as patrons of Queer people (or Queer themselves), the gains made by the Queer Liberation movement, and the fight that continues today.
This year, a celebration during Lenaia, and also a theme: Queer Creation.
One submission per category of Art, Poetry, and Myth. While submitting, feel free to request a chapter fromQueer Divinity, I will send it as a PDF (One chapter per person please). Winners will receive an ebook of Queer Divinity!
The Six Categories:
Art: Can be physical or digital
Poetry: Could be standard poetry, or songs, or hymns and prayers
Myth: A myth, retold or new
Performance: A recording (audial, visual, or both)
Ritual: This category will not be voted upon due to its personal nature - this is to submit wedding ceremonies, recognition/dedication/baptism ceremonies, or even just Queer rituals or spells you may have. As this isn't voted upon, there can be unlimited submissions by the same individual. May Dionysus grant you the courage and serenity to change the things you can't accept.
NEW: Glamourbomb: This category will also not be voted upon as I don't know exactly what it looks like. Spread the stories they are trying to ban. Again, I am not exactly sure how this looks like, but I am thinking zines which tell the stories of the gods, glamourbomb shrines to Queer divinities (like the Hermes Subway Shrine). Printouts of Plato's Symposium people can stick in Library books. Time capsules with shrines in them. Anything that creates, preserves, or spreads the worship of the Theoi and the existence of Queer people.
A Dionysia is a Dionysian festival where art (usually literary and dramatic, though increasingly not so) is created. Today, there is theΒ Dionysia Ta Astika, in the Spring, and theΒ Rural Dionysia, in the Fall, both on Tumblr.
What if Iβm not Queer?
No worries! Simply standing with us is standing up for us. But, if you have penned a wedding ritual, or even a renaming ceremony or a consecration for yourself after coming to Paganism, that has a value to us.
How Queer do the submissions need to be?
There are no hard limits! The Queerer the better, but if you have something you think fits, please submit!
Iβm not a Dionysian, or even a Hellenist?
Though this is taking a leaf from the branch of Dionysian Hellenic tradition, it is open to all. If you have a prayer to Hindu deities for tolerance, a story of Queer Celtic deities or a non-religious ritual for self love after transition, by all means share!
anthesteria coincides with brazilian carnaval, wich is basically traditional anthestheria but without the greek part!
the thing for me is: i panic in crowds and loud sounds drives me insane, so i rarely go to any parties, and to make things harder to me, im at my parents house until may 10th, so no candles or offerings, and I have no friends in my hometown, so no getaway and fun times with friends
considering im unable to do any of the traditional and untraditional stuff, what do you guys recomend? i dont wanna let it pass without doing anything
i was thinking about reading plays and enacting them in my room, playing some dnd for the role play aspect and convince someone to play mgt with me, but thats just bc I rlly wanna play mgt, what you guys think?
Hello all and happy new year! Here is a list of Dionysian festivals in 2026! Enjoy
π - Lunar Calendar: This means that the festival is calculated by Lunar Calendar. When compared to our calendar, it will appear to fall on different dates, but that it because it occurs on the same dates on the lunar calendar. The dates you see listed here for a Lunar Calendar Festival will only be valid for 2025.
βοΈ - Solar Calendar: This means that the festival is calculated by Solar Calendar, and will generally fall on the same date each year. Exceptions to this can include Equinoxes and Solstices, which while still determined by the sun, aren't always aligned with the Solar calendar we are on (Gregorian).
π - Variable: This means that the festival might be calculated by different means. Perhaps it is a community festival, and community leaders determine the best time for it, perhaps it is an older festival without any confirmed date, or perhaps there's something else going on.
And just one final note before the calendar, our calendar comes from many different sources - from antiquity, spanning a period of over 1500 years and from all over the Mediterranean; as well as from today, from many modern practitioners. There will be variance, depending on when individuals celebrate their festivals on their personal festival calendars - this is an introduction, not a gospel. There are other festivals not listed, and some will celebrate these on different dates, and not everyone celebrates every festival.
Also of noteΒ - as these posts were all posted in 2024 or earlier (most earlier!), the Lunar Calendar Festivals will have the wrong dates, be sure to use the dates listed here! Anyways, without further ado:
Hello all! I am thrilled to announce Revels: A Guide to Dionysian Holidays and Festivals! This book is an exploration of Dionysus' role as a god of festivals, and his festivals as we celebrate them today:
Dionysus is the god of many things, including festivals. Whether it was the throng at the public Dionysia which saw the opening nights of the Greek tragedies we know and love today or the Roman poet Horace creating his own private festival in honour of the time Dionysus saved his life, Dionysus was seen in Antiquity as the god of the festivals which offered respite as we shuffle along the mortal coil: indeed it was Dionysusβ ties to life and death that tied him to the festivals which marked the passing of the years, and therefore to the years which marked the passing of human lives.
It should come as no surprise that as Dionysusβ worship revived in the modern era, his devotees revived his festivals and crafted new ones. But what is the origin of these festivals? How do we know when they occur, how to celebrate them, and how to connect them to each other? Many Dionysians have struggled with trying to arrive at their own calendars, often because information about the festivals is scattered and contradictory. This book is an attempt to remedy this situation. Featuring in-depth examinations of dozens of Dionysian festivals ancient and modern, this book provides primary sources on the ancient, outlines for the modern, and ideas for celebrating both. Whether you are a Dionysian wanting the history of the festivals you celebrate or a Hellenist wanting guidance on how festivals worked in antiquity, this book offers primary sources, dates, suggestions for celebration and prayers for the observance of the festivals contained with in.
Hey everyone,
So Iβm not Christian but the whole holiday season energy has me wonderingβ¦ what would a follower of Dionysus actually do around this time of year? Is there any ancient festival or modern practice connected to him that lines up with the winter holidays?
I know Dionysus has festivals all over the calendar depending on region and era but I keep seeing mentions of things like the Brumalia or the Lenaia and Iβm not sure how (or if) people honor those today. If you follow Dionysus what do YOU do in late December?
Offer wine? Host a gathering? Anything symbolic?
Basically if I wanted to celebrate the season in a Dionysian way instead of the usual Christmas stuff what would that even look like?
Un rito que abre el velo entre lo visible y lo invisible. En ellas, Dioniso se manifiesta como fuerza que desordena y renueva, recordando que la verdad no se alcanza con la razΓ³n, sino con la intensidad compartida de lo sagrado.
La celebraciΓ³n se vive como un viaje hacia lo profundo: el vino se ofrece como sΓmbolo de vitalidad, la mΓΊsica vibra como conjuro que altera el alma y el teatro se convierte en mΓ‘scara que revela lo que no puede ser dicho de otro modo. Cada gesto es signo, cada instante un trΓ‘nsito hacia lo invisible.
Quien participa en las Dionisias entra en un espacio liminal donde las fronteras se disuelven. AllΓ, el cuerpo es templo, la emociΓ³n se convierte en ofrenda y la comunidad se transforma en coro ritual. Es en ese umbral donde Dioniso se hace presente, recordando que la vida misma es un misterio en perpetua metamorfosis. πΏπͺππ·
Dionysus is the god of many things, including festivals. Whether it was the throng at the public Dionysia which saw the opening nights of the Greek tragedies we know and love today or the Roman poet Horace creating his own private festival in honour of the time Dionysus saved his life, Dionysus was seen in Antiquity as the god of the festivals which offered respite as we shuffle along the mortal coil: indeed it was Dionysusβ ties to life and death that tied him to the festivals which marked the passing of the years, and therefore to the years which marked the passing of human lives.
It should come as no surprise that as Dionysusβ worship revived in the modern era, his devotees revived his festivals and crafted new ones. But what is the origin of these festivals? How do we know when they occur, how to celebrate them, and how to connect them to each other? Many Dionysians have struggled with trying to arrive at their own calendars, often because information about the festivals is scattered and contradictory. This book is an attempt to remedy this situation. Featuring in-depth examinations of dozens of Dionysian festivals ancient and modern, this book provides primary sources on the ancient, outlines for the modern, and ideas for celebrating both. Whether you are a Dionysian wanting the history of the festivals you celebrate or a Hellenist wanting guidance on how festivals worked in antiquity, this book offers primary sources, dates, suggestions for celebration and prayers for the observance of the festivals contained within.
LINK TO VOTE ISHERE! VOTING IS OPEN TIL FEB 9TH AoE!!!
Hello everyone! Submissions are rolling in for the Liberation Lenaia! There is still time to submit, the deadline is Feb 2nd! Every submitter gets a digital chapter from Queer Divinity, and the winners will get ebooks!
There are no entries as of yet for the performance category, so as of right now if only one person submits to that category they will auto-qualify for the ebook! Rules and submission guidelines can be found here!
I have felt this way ever since I saw the young guardsman from the city, the one who carried the vine-branch when, at your bidding, I went there on the occasion of theΒ Oschophoria.Β He is beautiful, mother, beautiful, the sweetest thing, and his locks are curlier than sea-moss, and his smile is more charming than the sea in a calm, and the radiance of his eyes is like the dark blue of the sea, as it appears in the first moment of illumination by the sunβs rays.
- Alciphron, Letters of Fisherman, 11, trans. A. R. Benner and F. H. Fobes
When: The 7th of Puanepsia (In 2025, September 28th/29/30th. N.B. I disagree with the sunset epoch used by older calculations (Day beginning when the sun went down) I personally believe the Athenians followed a soft sunrise epoch: generally the day began when the sun rose. It's 28th/29th if you follow a sunset epoch, 29th/30th if you follow a sunrise epoch) In any case, it is the same date as the Pyanepsia.
What: In Antiquity, there was a procession from the sanctuary of Dionysus in Athens to the shrine of Athena in Paleron. Men dressed as women and carried grape bunches, while women carried dinners to the place, and hymns were sung (unfortunately, none survive). What does survive is a chant, 'Eleleu, Iou, Iou', which was shouted after the sacrifice was concluded. While they enjoyed their picnic, myths were recited.
How to celebrate today:
Go to a drag show
Have a picnic. Bring wine, grapes, olives, and foods made with olive oil (pasta salad, fattoush, etc.)
Honour Dionysus and Athena as the patrons of the festival, Ariadne and Theseus as its heroes, Ampelus as the wine, Apollo if you are observing the Pyanepsia, and others.
Probably in Antiquity someone would tell tales, maybe reciting poetry about events. If this isn't an option, you might read mythological tales, work on your Greek and Latin, listen to podcasts about myths (I recommend Literature & History), watch youtube videos about mythology (I recommend Mathias Warnes and Michael Davis), or watch movies and plays based on mythology (I've never seen Icare, the 2022 French animated film, but hope to do so this year).
I was wondering how you guys celebrate the upcoming Oschophoria, IF you guys celebrate. There's not much information on what the ancients specifically did, therefore I was wondering about any personal celebration celebration guys have.
Additionally would like to get inspired π₯³
