#dionysia
Ὀγδόη Ἱσταμένου, VIII day
From today’s sunset: eighth day of Elaphebolion.
The eighth day is always sacred to Poseidon and Theseus.
“Poseidon Asphaleios stands for the ogdoad.”
“The eight day of Elaphebolion is the day of the sacrifice to Asklepios and the proagon of the festivities (of the Great Dionysia)” - “The sacred day.” Singing the Paean and sacrifice in honor of the God Asklepios. Proagon of the Great Dionysia; meeting of the Iobakkhoi. The Proagon is the occasion during which the authors, choregoi, musicians, chorus and actors appear before the supervisors, as well as to the public, without masks and costumes but wearing garlands. A provisional stage was mounted in the Odeion and the chosen poets illustrated the subject of their works that will be represented during the Dionysia, before the God in the Theatre.
(Cf. Esch. Or. III 66; Symp. 1194 ff; Aeschin. Ctesiph. 63.67; Schol. Aeschin.3.66-67)
“The eighth and the ninth of the month that begins: these are the best days to accomplish the man’s works: (Hesiod) praises the eighth and ninth plausibly as they carry perfection (syntelestikai) and therefore he has dedicated them to the human activities…one (the eight), by having a perfect dimension, the other (the nine), by deriving from a perfect number (the three), bring to accomplishment the works undertaken in them.”
Schol. Erga, 772-773
(Greek votive marble stele. The dedicant, portrayed in small size, is standing in the left corner of the relief. The God Asclepius and Hygeia occupy the scene. Late 5th cent. BCE. Now in the Vatican Museums…)
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You thought you’d seen the last of me but it’s Lenaia!!!!!!!
Hi!
I was gone. Life is chaos, the world is on fire, my body said “no.”
I return from my slumber to be very excited about Lenaia–it’s possibly my favorite festival of the year!
Lenaia is a four day festival, starting on the 12th of Gamelion (Janurary 15/January 16 at sunset) and ending on the 15th!
It’s in honor of Dionysos and the maenads, and is likely the origin of the Greater/City Dionysia! It stretches over the full moon/Dikhomenia too, which is wonderful and very Dionysian.
I’ll try to update and talk about it more over the course of the festival! So far, my plans are:
- Henna historic maenad tattoos onto myself (I’ll provide details on those when/if I share them!)
- A ritual on the 14th of Gamelion (full moon/Dikhomenia) with as many friends as I can find who are comfortable celebrating women-only festivals–I often half-joke that I’m a gyne only for festivals, and that definitely applies to the Dionysian ones!
- Redoing my prayer beads/bracelet for Dionysos
- Pouring Dionysos a libation (red vinegar)
- Be gay, do crimes
Blessed Lenaia to all! Io Dionysos, and khaire!
