Anthesteria
Encyclopedia
Anthesteria, one of the four Athenian
festivals
in honour of Dionysus
(collectively the Dionysia
), was held annually for three days, the eleventh to thirteenth of the month of Anthesterion (the January/February full moon); it was preceded by the Lenaia
. At the centre of this wine-drinking festival was the celebration of the maturing of the wine stored at the previous vintage, whose pithoi were now ceremoniously opened, and the beginning of spring. Athenians of the Classical age were aware that the festival was of great antiquity; Walter Burkert points out that the mythic reflection of this is the Attic founder-king Theseus
' release of Ariadne
to Dionysus, but this is no longer considered a dependable sign that the festival had been celebrated in the Minoan period. Since the festival was celebrated by Athens and all the Ionian cities, it is assumed that it must have preceded the Ionian migration of the late eleventh or early tenth century BC.
The three days of the feast were called Pithoigia (after πίθοι "storage jars"), Choës (χοαί "libations"; ) and Chytroi (χύτροι "pots").
During the feast, social order was interrupted or inverted, the slaves being allowed to participate, uniting the household in ancient fashion. The Anthesteria also have aspects of a festival of the dead
who freely roamed the city, comparable to the Roman Feast of the Lemures
, the expulsion of ancestral ghosts: compare All Souls' Night and carnival
.
Either the Keres
(Κῆρες) or the Carians
(Κᾶρες) were entertained, and expelled from the city after the festival, symbolizing either the souls of the dead or the aboriginal inhabitants of Attica. A Greek proverb, employed of those who pestered for continued favours, ran "Out of doors, Keres! It is no longer Anthesteria".
A comparable Latin festival, called Rosalia in Latin, was loaned as Rusaliya into Slavic. The Rusalki were originally spirits associated with the cult.
andhas "Soma
plant".
The month Anthesterion is named after the festival, not vice versa, and since the month's name is not restricted to the Attic calendar
, but was known also in Ionia
, it was considered by the Ancients that the festival predates the Ionian colonisation, making it the oldest datable part of the Eleusinian Mysteries
. An archaic element was the choosing of the "king" (basileus - βασιλεύς); in the course of the festival the consort of the king (basilinna) was given up to the god in a mystical marriage, which took place in the Boukolion (Βουκόλιον) in the agora
; precisely what this entailed and how physical was the public union, are matters of discussion. Walter Burkert points out that the mythic reflection of this is the Attic founder-king Theseus
' release of Ariadne
to Dionysus
A. W. Verrall (Journal of Hellenic Studies, xx., 1900, p. 115) explains the name differently, as a feast of "revocation" (from ἀναθέσσασθαι, to "pray back" or "up"), at which the ghosts of the dead were recalled to the land of the living (cf. the Roman mundus patet). Jane Ellen Harrison (ibid. 100, 109, and Prolegomena), regarding the Anthesteria as primarily a festival of all souls, the object of which was the expulsion of ancestral ghosts by means of placation, explains Pithoigia as the feast of the opening of the graves (πίθος in this case meaning a large urn used for burial purposes), χοαί as the day of libations, and χύτροι as the day of the grave-holes (not "pots," which is χύτραι), in point of time really anterior to the Pithoigia. Eleanor Rohde and Martin P. Nilsson
, however, take the χύτροι to mean "water vessels," and connect the ceremony with the Hydrophoria, a libation festival said to propitiate the dead who had perished in the flood of Deucalion
.
basileus
for the duration, went through a ceremony of marriage to the wine god, in which she was assisted by fourteen Athenian matrons, called gerarai, chosen by the basileus and sworn to secrecy. The days on which the Pithoigia and Choës were celebrated were both regarded as ἀποφράδες (nefasti, "unlucky") and μιαραί ("defiled"), necessitating expiatory libations; on them the souls of the dead came up from the underworld and walked abroad; according to Photius, people chewed leaves of buckthorn
and besmeared their doors with tar to protect themselves from evil. But at least in private circles the festive character of the ceremonies predominated.
. Cooked pulse
was offered to Hermes Chthonios
, Hermes in his capacity of a god of the lower world, and to the souls of the dead, who were then bidden to depart. None of the Olympians were included and no one tasted the pottage
, which was food of the dead. Although no performances were allowed at the theatre, a sort of rehearsal took place, at which the players for the ensuing dramatic festival were selected.
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
festivals
Athenian festivals
The festival calendar of city-state of classical Athens involved the staging of a large number of festivals each year. These Athenian festivals included:-Athena:...
in honour of Dionysus
Dionysus
Dionysus was the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, of ritual madness and ecstasy in Greek mythology. His name in Linear B tablets shows he was worshipped from c. 1500—1100 BC by Mycenean Greeks: other traces of Dionysian-type cult have been found in ancient Minoan Crete...
(collectively the Dionysia
Dionysia
The Dionysia[p] was a large festival in ancient Athens in honor of the god Dionysus, the central events of which were the theatrical performances of dramatic tragedies and, from 487 BC, comedies. It was the second-most important festival after the Panathenaia...
), was held annually for three days, the eleventh to thirteenth of the month of Anthesterion (the January/February full moon); it was preceded by the Lenaia
Lenaia
The Lenaia was an annual festival with a dramatic competition. It was one of the lesser festivals of Athens and Ionia in ancient Greece. The Lenaia took place in Athens in the month of Gamelion, roughly corresponding to January. The festival was in honour of Dionysos Lenaios...
. At the centre of this wine-drinking festival was the celebration of the maturing of the wine stored at the previous vintage, whose pithoi were now ceremoniously opened, and the beginning of spring. Athenians of the Classical age were aware that the festival was of great antiquity; Walter Burkert points out that the mythic reflection of this is the Attic founder-king Theseus
Theseus
For other uses, see Theseus Theseus was the mythical founder-king of Athens, son of Aethra, and fathered by Aegeus and Poseidon, both of whom Aethra had slept with in one night. Theseus was a founder-hero, like Perseus, Cadmus, or Heracles, all of whom battled and overcame foes that were...
' release of Ariadne
Ariadne
Ariadne , in Greek mythology, was the daughter of King Minos of Crete, and his queen Pasiphaë, daughter of Helios, the Sun-titan. She aided Theseus in overcoming the Minotaur and was the bride of the god Dionysus.-Minos and Theseus:...
to Dionysus, but this is no longer considered a dependable sign that the festival had been celebrated in the Minoan period. Since the festival was celebrated by Athens and all the Ionian cities, it is assumed that it must have preceded the Ionian migration of the late eleventh or early tenth century BC.
The three days of the feast were called Pithoigia (after πίθοι "storage jars"), Choës (χοαί "libations"; ) and Chytroi (χύτροι "pots").
During the feast, social order was interrupted or inverted, the slaves being allowed to participate, uniting the household in ancient fashion. The Anthesteria also have aspects of a festival of the dead
Festival of the Dead
Festival of the Dead is held by many cultures throughout the world in honor or recognition of deceased members of the community, generally occurring after the harvest in August, September, October, or November. In Japanese Buddhist custom the festival honoring the departed spirits of one's...
who freely roamed the city, comparable to the Roman Feast of the Lemures
Feast of the Lemures
The Lemuralia or Lemuria was a feast in the religion of ancient Rome during which the Romans performed rites to exorcise the malevolent and fearful ghosts of the dead from their homes. The unwholesome spectres of the restless dead, the lemures or larvae were propitiated with offerings of beans...
, the expulsion of ancestral ghosts: compare All Souls' Night and carnival
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
.
Either the Keres
Keres (mythology)
In Greek mythology, the Keres were female death-spirits. The Keres were daughters of Nyx, and as such the sisters of Fate , Doom , Death and Sleep , Strife , Old Age , Divine Retribution , Charon, and other personifications...
(Κῆρες) or the Carians
Carians
The Carians were the ancient inhabitants of Caria in southwest Anatolia.-Historical accounts:It is not clear when the Carians enter into history. The definition is dependent on corresponding Caria and the Carians to the "Karkiya" or "Karkisa" mentioned in the Hittite records...
(Κᾶρες) were entertained, and expelled from the city after the festival, symbolizing either the souls of the dead or the aboriginal inhabitants of Attica. A Greek proverb, employed of those who pestered for continued favours, ran "Out of doors, Keres! It is no longer Anthesteria".
A comparable Latin festival, called Rosalia in Latin, was loaned as Rusaliya into Slavic. The Rusalki were originally spirits associated with the cult.
Origins
The name Anthesteria (Ἀνθεστήρια), according to the account of it given above, is usually connected with ἄνθος (plural: ἄνθη or ἄνθεα; root: ἀνθεσ-) "flower," or the "bloom" of the grape, cognate to SanskritSanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
andhas "Soma
Soma
Soma , or Haoma , from Proto-Indo-Iranian *sauma-, was a ritual drink of importance among the early Indo-Iranians, and the subsequent Vedic and greater Persian cultures. It is frequently mentioned in the Rigveda, whose Soma Mandala contains 114 hymns, many praising its energizing qualities...
plant".
The month Anthesterion is named after the festival, not vice versa, and since the month's name is not restricted to the Attic calendar
Attic calendar
The Attic calendar is a hellenic calendar that was in use in ancient Attica, the ancestral territory of the Athenian polis. This article focuses on the 5th and 4th centuries BC, the classical period that produced some of the most significant works of ancient Greek literature. Because of the...
, but was known also in Ionia
Ionia
Ionia is an ancient region of central coastal Anatolia in present-day Turkey, the region nearest İzmir, which was historically Smyrna. It consisted of the northernmost territories of the Ionian League of Greek settlements...
, it was considered by the Ancients that the festival predates the Ionian colonisation, making it the oldest datable part of the Eleusinian Mysteries
Eleusinian Mysteries
The Eleusinian Mysteries were initiation ceremonies held every year for the cult of Demeter and Persephone based at Eleusis in ancient Greece. Of all the mysteries celebrated in ancient times, these were held to be the ones of greatest importance...
. An archaic element was the choosing of the "king" (basileus - βασιλεύς); in the course of the festival the consort of the king (basilinna) was given up to the god in a mystical marriage, which took place in the Boukolion (Βουκόλιον) in the agora
Agora
The Agora was an open "place of assembly" in ancient Greek city-states. Early in Greek history , free-born male land-owners who were citizens would gather in the Agora for military duty or to hear statements of the ruling king or council. Later, the Agora also served as a marketplace where...
; precisely what this entailed and how physical was the public union, are matters of discussion. Walter Burkert points out that the mythic reflection of this is the Attic founder-king Theseus
Theseus
For other uses, see Theseus Theseus was the mythical founder-king of Athens, son of Aethra, and fathered by Aegeus and Poseidon, both of whom Aethra had slept with in one night. Theseus was a founder-hero, like Perseus, Cadmus, or Heracles, all of whom battled and overcame foes that were...
' release of Ariadne
Ariadne
Ariadne , in Greek mythology, was the daughter of King Minos of Crete, and his queen Pasiphaë, daughter of Helios, the Sun-titan. She aided Theseus in overcoming the Minotaur and was the bride of the god Dionysus.-Minos and Theseus:...
to Dionysus
A. W. Verrall (Journal of Hellenic Studies, xx., 1900, p. 115) explains the name differently, as a feast of "revocation" (from ἀναθέσσασθαι, to "pray back" or "up"), at which the ghosts of the dead were recalled to the land of the living (cf. the Roman mundus patet). Jane Ellen Harrison (ibid. 100, 109, and Prolegomena), regarding the Anthesteria as primarily a festival of all souls, the object of which was the expulsion of ancestral ghosts by means of placation, explains Pithoigia as the feast of the opening of the graves (πίθος in this case meaning a large urn used for burial purposes), χοαί as the day of libations, and χύτροι as the day of the grave-holes (not "pots," which is χύτραι), in point of time really anterior to the Pithoigia. Eleanor Rohde and Martin P. Nilsson
Martin P. Nilsson
Martin Persson Nilsson was a Swedish philologist, mythographer, and a scholar of the Greek, Hellenistic and Roman religious systems...
, however, take the χύτροι to mean "water vessels," and connect the ceremony with the Hydrophoria, a libation festival said to propitiate the dead who had perished in the flood of Deucalion
Deucalion
In Greek mythology Deucalion was a son of Prometheus and Pronoia. The anger of Zeus was ignited by the hubris of the Pelasgians, and he decided to put an end to the Bronze Age. Lycaon, the king of Arcadia, had sacrificed a boy to Zeus, who was appalled by this savage offering...
.
Pithoigia
On the first day, called Pithoigia (Πιθοίγια "opening of the casks"; cf. οἴγειν "to open"), libations were offered from the newly opened casks to the god of wine, all the household, including slaves, joining in the festivities. The rooms and the drinking vessels in them were adorned with spring flowers, as were also the children over three years of age.Choes
The second day, named Choës (libations), was a time of merrymaking. The people dressed themselves gaily, some in the disguise of the mythical personages in the suite of Dionysus, and paid a round of visits to their acquaintances. Drinking clubs met to organize drink-off matches, the winner being he who drained his cup most rapidly. Others poured libations on the tombs of deceased relatives. On the part of the state this day was the occasion of a peculiarly solemn and secret ceremony in the sanctuary of Dionysus en limnais - ἐν λίμναις, "in the marshes", closed for all the rest of the year. The basilissa - βασίλισσα (or basilinna - βασιλίννα), wife of the archonArchon
Archon is a Greek word that means "ruler" or "lord", frequently used as the title of a specific public office. It is the masculine present participle of the verb stem ἀρχ-, meaning "to rule", derived from the same root as monarch, hierarchy, and anarchy.- Ancient Greece :In ancient Greece the...
basileus
Basileus
Basileus is a Greek term and title that has signified various types of monarchs in history. It is perhaps best known in English as a title used by the Byzantine Emperors, but also has a longer history of use for persons of authority and sovereigns in ancient Greece, as well as for the kings of...
for the duration, went through a ceremony of marriage to the wine god, in which she was assisted by fourteen Athenian matrons, called gerarai, chosen by the basileus and sworn to secrecy. The days on which the Pithoigia and Choës were celebrated were both regarded as ἀποφράδες (nefasti, "unlucky") and μιαραί ("defiled"), necessitating expiatory libations; on them the souls of the dead came up from the underworld and walked abroad; according to Photius, people chewed leaves of buckthorn
Buckthorn
The Buckthorns are a genus of about 100 species of shrubs or small trees from 1-10 m tall , in the buckthorn family Rhamnaceae...
and besmeared their doors with tar to protect themselves from evil. But at least in private circles the festive character of the ceremonies predominated.
Chytroi
The third day was named Chytroi ("feast of pots", from χύτρος, "a pot"), a festival of the deadFestival of the Dead
Festival of the Dead is held by many cultures throughout the world in honor or recognition of deceased members of the community, generally occurring after the harvest in August, September, October, or November. In Japanese Buddhist custom the festival honoring the departed spirits of one's...
. Cooked pulse
Pulse (legume)
A pulse is an annual leguminous crop yielding from one to twelve seeds of variable size, shape, and color within a pod. Pulses are used for food and animal feed. The term "pulse", as used by the Food and Agricultural Organization , is reserved for crops harvested solely for the dry seed...
was offered to Hermes Chthonios
Hermes
Hermes is the great messenger of the gods in Greek mythology and a guide to the Underworld. Hermes was born on Mount Kyllini in Arcadia. An Olympian god, he is also the patron of boundaries and of the travelers who cross them, of shepherds and cowherds, of the cunning of thieves, of orators and...
, Hermes in his capacity of a god of the lower world, and to the souls of the dead, who were then bidden to depart. None of the Olympians were included and no one tasted the pottage
Pottage
Pottage is a thick soup or stew made by boiling vegetables, grains, and, if available, meat or fish.It was a staple food of all people living in Great Britain from neolithic times on into the Middle Ages...
, which was food of the dead. Although no performances were allowed at the theatre, a sort of rehearsal took place, at which the players for the ensuing dramatic festival were selected.
External links
- The Anthesteria Bibliotheca Arcana (1997)