Hekatombaion – July – New Year in Ancient Greece

 

 

 In the Gregorian calendar, July is named after Julius Caesar, who was born in this month, however, for the ancient Athenians, July, known as Hekatombaion, named after the Hekatomb, a procession of sacrificial bulls, was the first month of the year, today’s January, so to speak.

In Ancient Greece or Rome, a Hecatomb; a hundred bulls or oxen on their way to be slaughtered, signified any great public sacrifice or feast.

 

 

The word hecatomb, in ancient Greek, literally means the “offering of 100 oxen”, or in general, “a great public sacrifice”.

 It is made up of hekaton, the Greek word for “one hundred” and the second part of the word originates from “bous”, the Greek word for ox.

The ancient Athenians used the Attic, or Athenian calendar (only one of many calendars used in ancient Greece), mainly to keep track of the numerous jubilations going on more or less every day all over the city, thousands of years later, daily festive goings on still seem to be the norm, well, after all, Greeks are known for their love of partying, who hasn’t heard the phrase “party like a Greek”?

 

The Attic calendar, or Athenian calendar

 

Summer   (Θέρος)

1. Hekatombaion (Ἑκατομβαιών) July/August

2. Metageitnion (Μεταγειτνιών) August/September

3. Boedromion (Βοηδρομιών) September/October

Autumn   (Φθινόπωρον)

4. Pyanepsion (Πυανεψιών) October/November

5. Maimakterion (Μαιμακτηριών) November/December

6. Poseidon (Ποσειδεών) December/January

Winter   (Χεῖμα)

7. Gamelion (Γαμηλιών) January/February

8. Anthesterion (Ἀνθεστηριών) February/March

9. Elaphebolion (Ἑλαφηβολιών) March/April

Spring   (Ἔαρ)

10. Mounichion (Μουνιχιών) April/May

11. Thargelion (Θαργηλιών) May/June

12. Skirophorion (Σκιροφοριών) June/July

 

Hekatombaion and the New Year in ancient Athens, began at sunset, just after midsummer, with the first sighting of the new, or crescent moon, after the summer solstice.

 

 

Celebrations and festivals held throughout the month Hekatombaion (July) in ancient Athens

 

1st Hekatombaion – The Athenian New Year

 

The Athenian New Year, dedicated to Athena, goddess of wisdom, handicraft and warfare and guardian of the city of Athens.

 

 

2nd Hekatombaion – Feast of the Charites

 

Feast of the Charite , Charites, or Graces; minor goddesses of charm, beauty, nature, human creativity, and fertility, usually three, said to be daughters of Zeus; Aglaea (Splendor), Euphrosyne (Good Cheer), and Thalia (Festivity).

 

 

3rd Hekatombaion – Feast of the  Aphrodite (Venus)

 

Feast of the  Aphrodite (Venus), goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, passion and procreation, followers of ‘Hellenic Polytheistic Reconstructionism’, who recreate ancient Greek religious rituals, still observe this festival today.

The main festival dedicated to Athena was the The Aphrodisia.

 

 

9th Hekatombaion – The Adonia festivals

 

The Adonia festivals, a sixteen day festival, spanning the full moon, celebrated by women grieving over the death of Adonis, mortal lover of Aphrodite.

Women climbed upon the rooftops of Athens, where they sang and danced in honour of Adonis, they also planted ‘Gardens of Adonis’, consisting of lettuce and fennel seeds, planted in potsherds, which sprouted, flourished, and quickly died, symbolising the short life of this handsome Greek youth.

‘The Gardens of Adonis’, once they had withered and given up the ghost, were buried at sea, along with images of Adonis.

 

 

11th Hekatombaion – Feast of Theano

 

Feast of Theano, a philosopher, born circa 546 BC, probably on Crete, muse and wife of Pythagoras, ancient Greek philosopher and founder of Pythagoreanism.

Unfortunately, except for a few fragments, none of Theano’s writings, which included Pythagorean Apophthegms, Female Advice, On Virtue, On Piety, On Pythagoras, Philosophical Commentaries, and Letters, exist today.

 

 

12th Hekatombaion – The Kronia festival

 

The Kronia festival, in honour of  Cronus (Kronus), leader and youngest, of the first generation of Titans, overthrown by his own son, Zeus.

This festival, said to commemorate the Golden age, when Cronus still ruled the world, was a real knees up, slaves, free, rich and poor all partied together, inhibitions were thrown to the wind, as the inhabitants of ancient Athens ran riot through the streets.

 

 

15th Hekatombaion – Synoikia, a feast of union

 

Synoikia, a feast of union (also called the Thesean Synoikismos and the Feast of Union), a celebration of peaceful harmony between city states and neighbours and the union of the original twelve villages of Attica, accredited to the mythical King Theseus

The first joining together of villages was the union of Attica, when King Creops created the original twelve cities of Attica, and later, mythological King Theseus, merged these neighborhoods into Attica. This myth led to Theseus being known as one of the founders of Athens.

 

 

19th Hekatombaion – Marriage of Adonis and Aphrodite

 

Marriage of Adonis and Aphrodite, celebrating the mid point, of the half year of Andonis’ short presence in the world. After a jealous spat between Aphrodite and Persephone (queen of the underworld), Zeus had condemned Adonis to live six months underground, (autumn/winter) with Persephone, and six months above ground (spring/summer) with Aphrodite.

The myth of Aphrodite and Adonis is a story of love and loss. Adonis had a passion for hunting, which Aphrodite nagged him to give up, fearing she would lose her handsome lover to this dangerous sport, but her pleading fell on deaf ears, and one fateful day, Adonis, while out hunting, was killed by a wild boar (which was actually the god Ares, jealous lover of Aphrodite).

On hearing of her lovers death, Aphrodite ran to Adonis, took the dead boy in her arms, and on seeing his blood dripping onto the earth, transformed the blood drops into wild flowers, windflowers, the short – lived anemones, in memory of their love.

 

 

21st Hekatombaion – Damo

 

Damo, in remembrance of the philosopher daughter of Pythagoras and Theano.

It’s said Pythagoras handed down his writings to his daughter Damo, who kept them safe, refusing to sell them, believing that poverty was more precious than gold, Damo, in turn, passed her father’s works to her daughter. The writings, as well as those by Damo herself, are not known to have survived.

 

 

28th Hekatombaion – The Panathenaea

 

The Panathenaea was the most important of all the festivals at Athens, in honour of goddess Athena as daughter of wisdom.

Starting in 566/5 B.C, the Great Panathenaea was celebrated every four years, and lasted twelve days, a feast of many rites and sacrifices, the most important being the hecatomb, (from where the month Hekatombaion gets its name), the sacrificing of one hundred ox to the Greek gods.

At sunrise on the 28th of the month, the goddess Athena’s birthday, Athenians, carrying torches, set off from Kerameikos, for Academus, beyond the city walls, with which to renew the fire burning on the altar of Athena at the Acropolis.

A Procession wound its way to the Acropolis, where gifts and offerings were laid before the wooden image of Athena Polias.

The goddess Athena was presented with a new veil, of white wool, woven with gold (taken from the statue of Athena on the Acropolis), which was also used as a sail on one of the boats in the procession.

 

 

30th Hekatombaion – Heracleia Festival

 

Heracleia Festival, which commemorated the death of the Greek hero, Heracles.

Ancient Athenians celebrated the Heracleia in a sanctuary dedicated to Heracles, at Cynosarges, outside the walls of Athens.

 

 

Kalo Mina!

 

Today, in modern Greece, the month of July doesn’t seem half as exciting, just a few name days here and there, life was definitely in the fast track back in the day, another day, another fiesta!

 As the Greeks say, on the first day of every month; kalo mina…have a good month, and for any ancient Athenians who may be eavesdropping, Happy New Year, and oh, yes, Happy Birthday Greeker; yes, my birthday is the first of Hekatombaion!