The Dionysia – Festivals of Dionysus – God of Wine and Ecstasy
Dionysia, the original Greek Carnival- (Apokreas)
The ancient “Dionysia”, also called the Bacchanalia, festivals dating back to the fifth century BC, dedicated to Dionysus (Latin-Bacchus), God of wine, theater, fertility and ecstasy, are said to be the origins of the Greek Carnival.
With the arrival of Christianity, The Greek Orthodox Church, tried to play down these now pagan celebrations, all this bawdiness is not seemly.
However, the heathens may have allowed themselves to become Christians but no way were they about to give up their festivities!
The priests of the day, unable to persuade the newly-converted to forego their jollies, simply changed the name and dedicated the celebration to some other Christian occasion.
This then, is how the “The Dionysia”, became “Apokries” (meaning, without meat), getting ready for the 40 days of Lent.
Dedication to Bacchus (Dionysus). Sir lawrence Alma Tadema
The Dionysia
“The Dionysia”, also known as “The Great Dionysia”, “The Dionysia Mysteries” or “City Dionysia” were festivals dating back to the fifth century BC, dedicated to Dionysus, God of wine, theater, fertility and ecstasy.
The festivals, also known as a Bacchanal; crazy parties with drunken revelry, sexual experimentation and wild music, were also celebrated in southern Italy, where they most likely arrived in around 200 BC, via the Greek colonies of Italy, here they were dedicated to Bacchus, the Roman name for Dionysus.
The Triumph of Bacchus – (Dionysus) – Diego Velazquez – 1628-9 – Museo Del Prado – Madrid
The festivals were celebrated all over Greece but by far, the main attraction was Athens.
Thousands of people made their way to the big city for the event, literally “Let it all hang out” days of wine, women and song.
Back in the day, Dionysus, with the looks any Greek God would have been proud of, had his cult of followers, who eagerly awaited this yearly blow out, which is exactly what it was.
Dionysus Drunk, Yiannis Tsaroychis 1972
The Ancient Rave Party
“The Dionysia” were held in the spring, after the last stages of the fermentation of wine, just after the winter solstice, it was a celebration of rebirth, of the earth awakening after winter, the first leaves appearing on the vine.
This was one of the most important festival of the year and was celebrated all over Greece, the main attraction though was Athens.
Thousands of people made their way to the big city for the event, literally “Let it all hang out” days of wine, women and song.
Back in the day, Dionysus, with the looks any Greek God would have been proud of, had his cult of followers, who eagerly awaited this yearly blow out, which is exactly what it was.
Nicolas Poussin’s ‘Bacchanal Before a Statue of Pan’ – 1631-33
The female followers; “Maenads”, wild, drunk women, dressed as Ariadne, wife of Dionysus, with animal skins draped over their shoulders, and his male devotees, satyrs, men with goat-like features, in a permanent state of arousal, gathered together in the woods, all carrying a “Thyrsus”, a rod topped with a pine cone ,for what can only be dubbed as a rave party!
he Honourable John Maler Collier OBE RP ROI (27 January 1850 – 11 April 1934) “Maenads” ( Bacchantes )
The copious amounts of wine knocked back, trance-inducing music, strange herbs ingested and wild singing and dancing; all produced a state of complete abandon and a total lack of inhibition.
Baby, this was the original sex, drugs and rock and roll!
Well, they do say the Greeks invented everything!
The Youth of Bacchus (Dionysus), 1884 Painting William-Adolphe Bouguereau.
The Six Day Dionysia
The six day “Dionysia”, later, in the fifth century, was no less eagerly awaited.
On the first day a huge wooden statue of Dionysus was borne aloft, through the inebriated crowds, to the theater of Dionysus, at the foot of the Acropolis, escorted by men dressed as satyrs, disguised by masks, the women following, wildly dancing, heads thrown back in ecstasy.
Here at the theater, a contest was held, three playwrights were to submit three tragedies and one satire (comedy), three days were allotted, one for each playwright, the judges being one from each of the ten political tribes of Athens.
Present-day remains of the Theatre of Dionysus Eleuthereus, Athens
This contest was rather like a “Greece has got talent”, reality show and produced some of the most famous playwrights of ancient Greece.
Taking part would have been;
Aeschylus with The Oresteia, Persians, Seven against Thebes, Suppliants and Prometheus Bound
Sophocles with Antigone, Oedipus the King, and Oedipus at Colonus, Electra.
Euripides with Ten Plays, and Aristophanes with Lysistrata, Clouds, Wasps, and Birds
I can certainly understand why early Christian priests were not enamored with these pagan shenanigans and replaced it with Greek carnival, which, it seems to me, is just a reenactment of wild parties thrown all those years ago, under another name:
Apokreas, the Greek Carnival!
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