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The Athenian Festival Calendar

The Athenian Festival Calendar. The Calendar Generally The Festival Calendar The Other Calendar The Months of the Festival Year Every Month What was a Festival? The Principal Festivals The Festivals of Demeter. The Calendar Generally. every polis had its own

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The Athenian Festival Calendar

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  1. The Athenian Festival Calendar The Calendar Generally The Festival Calendar The Other Calendar The Months of the Festival Year Every Month What was a Festival? The Principal Festivals The Festivals of Demeter

  2. The Calendar Generally • every polis had its own • months named differently to accord with different deities honored • different new year days in different poleis • all were lunar • everything here refers to Athens

  3. The Festival Calendar • lunar = based on cycles of moon • 12 months of 29 or 30 days with intercalation • huh? intercalation = adding a month • new year = day of new moon following summer solstice = 6/22/2001

  4. The Other Calendar • The Civic Calendar • ten months, each = 1/10 of the year (35-39 days) • based on ten tribes of Athens • each tribe in charge of running major organs of government for one month

  5. Hekatombaion Metageitnion Boedromion Pyanespsion Maimakterion Posideion Gamelion Anthesterion Elaphebolion Mounichion Thargelion Skirophorion The Months of the Festival Year

  6. Every Month • first day - Noumenia = New Moon Day • 3rd day - dedicated to Athena • 6th day - dedicated to Artemis • 7th day - dedicated to Apollo • 8th day - dedicated to Poseidon

  7. What was a Festival? • Sacrifices to the god(s) and feasting • Processions • Athletic Competitions (races, etc.) • Artistic Competitions (song and dance; dramatic performances) • some or all of the above • plus events specific to the festival

  8. The Principal Festivals 1 • Panathenaia • Hekatombaion 23-30 • presentation of new robe to Athena • Eleusinian Mysteries • Boedromion 15-21 • rites for Demeter • Thesmophoria • Pyanepsion 11-13 • Demeter and Persephone

  9. The Principal Festivals 2 • Apatouria • Pyanepsion 19-21 (?) • initiation of boys into fathers’ groups • Anthesteria • Anthesterion 11-13 • wine & flowers; rites for Dionysus • Greater Dionysia • Elaphebolion 10-16 • dramatic performances for Dionysus

  10. The Festivals of Demeter • Eleusinian Mysteries - Boedromion • Stenia - Pyanepsion • Thesmophoria - Pyanepsion • Haloa - Posideon • Skirophoria - Skirophorion

  11. Hekatombaion • July August • watering young trees 3 • harvest grains & legumes 2 • fallow ploughing 1 • thresh & process grain for storage 1 • Panathenaia

  12. Metageitnion • August September • fig harvest 1 • watering • no major festivals

  13. Boedromion • September October • fig harvest 2 • vintage • manure & clear fields 1 • watering • Eleusinian Mysteries

  14. Pyanepsion • October November • manure &clear fields 2 • trench & prune vines 1 • trench & prune olive trees1 • olive picking & pressing 1 • Apatouria • Thesmophoria & Stenia • Chalkeia

  15. Maimakterion • November December • trench & prune vines 2 • trench & prune olive trees 2 • olive picking & pressing 2 • plough and sow grain • lambing & kidding 1 • no major festivals

  16. Poseideion • December January • lambing & kidding 2 • Haloa • Rural Dionysia • this is extra month added for intercalation when necessary

  17. Gamelion • January February • lambing & kidding 3 • milking & milk processing 1 • fallow ploughing 1 • Lenaion • Lesser Mysteries (& start of Anthesterion)

  18. Anthesterion • February March • lambing & kidding 4 • fallow ploughing 2 • milking & milk processing 2 • vine & tree digging & pruning 1 • Anthesteria

  19. Elaphebolion • March April • vine & tree digging & pruning 2 • grafting 1 • milking & milk processing 3 • Greater Dionysia

  20. Mounichion • April May • grafting 2 • milking & milk processing 4 • earthing up trees 1 • watering young trees 1 • Delphinia

  21. Thargelion • May June • milking & milk processing 5 • earthing up trees 2 • watering young trees 2 • harvest grains & legumes 1 • Thargelia • Kallynteria & Plynteria

  22. Skirophorion • June July • watering young trees 3 • harvest grains & legumes 2 • fallow ploughing 1 • thresh & process grain for storage 1 • milking milk processing 5 • Arrephoria • Skirophoria

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