#Athenian calendar

[thewitchfarhan]

Μακάριος Νουμηνία! ||| Makários Noumenia ||| Blessed Noumenia!

This is the first time I am observing the Athenian Monthly Calendar - and my first time celebrating Noumenia. For this, my first Noumenia, I decided to do devotional art to my Household Gods and crate and decorate my Kadiskos.

I created icons for each of my current household Gods. I have my Agathos Diamon, a lightning bolt for Zeus (who I do not currently worship but I wanted to honor Zeus Ktesios on my Kadiskos), a letter for Hermes, a ceremonial flame for Hestia, a kalimba on a sun for Apollon, and a clam and pearl for Aphrodite.

I’ll take more pictures in the morning, once everything is dry and the lighting is better - but I wanted to share this before Noumenia ended.

Goodnight 🌙

[thegrapeandthefig]

2023 ATTIC CALENDAR

For the third consecutive year, I made a calendar.

If you're new here, the version of the calendar I make yearly is that most of the Athenian festivals and days are slapped on the modern calendar (friendly nicknamed "Civil Roman Calendar") to make keeping track of events easier.

I have not made changes between this one and last year in term of content. The only thing that changes is the formatting and, well, the fact it's updated to 2023.

For last year's changelog, please refer to this post or simply to the last page of the calendar, which briefly goes through the method, the organization, appropriate credits and the list of festivals listed.

The calendar is available in two formats:

Digital version (image-heavy PDF)

Printer-friendly version (no image, black text on white background).

DOWNLOAD

Digital

Printer Friendly

[diana-thyme]

hi! can i ask, do you have any good resources to learn about athenian holidays?

I get all of my information from Hellenion! The linked page has the calendar linked and has their resources listed as well.

For simplicity’s sake:

“The calendar is based on the monthly and annual observances and festivals of the ancient Athenians from about 800 BCE to 323 BCE. This version was created using information derived from www.numachi.com/~ccount/hmepa [archived version] and from timeanddate.com/moon/phases as well as sources:

Greek Religion by Walter Burkert (Harvard University Press, 1977, English translation: Basil Blackwell Publisher and Harvard University Press, 1985)

Old Stones, New Temples by Drew Campbell (Xlibris Corporation, 2000)

Festivals of the Athenians, by H. W. Parke (London, Thames and Hudson, 1977).

Hellenic Polytheism: Household Worship, by Christos Pandion Panopoulos, Panagiotis Panagiotopoulos and Erymanthos Armyras; English translation: Mano Rathamanthys Madytinos and Lesley Madytinou (Athens, Greece, LABYRS, 2014).”

And here is their calendar.

I hope this helps!

[sabakos]

My personal historical headcanon is that all the "Byzantine" bureaucratic structures we associate with the (comparatively more well documented) eras of late antiquity and the middle ages were inherited, at least in spirit, from Classical Greece. I mean, we know from Plato that at least at some point in Athens they had religious ceremonies that they performed while working out at the Palaestra, I bet the elaborate rituals and procedural bylaws associated with actual functions of government were obnoxious.

[kore-siciliana]

Libation to Hermes on the 4th of Mounykhion in the Athenian calendar. A stormy night. No better time to honor the Theoi and sit in meditation with them.

[beatingdrumspouringwine]

Dionysian Festivals in History

You'll never believe who procrastinated on their thesis by writing this. (It definitely wasn't me, if anyone's asking.)

One of the more common difficulties that comes with being a Hellenic Polytheist (or, really, any follower of a pre-Christian religion) is a lack of knowledge about how certain festivals were practiced. This problem is especially true in the worship of Dionysos, where many of the practices were unwritten about, due to either common societal knowledge of them, or a more mysterious aspect to them.

I'm going to go over a crash course of historical festivals to Dionysos (using @thegrapeandthefig's Attic Calendar, as is usual), and explain what each festival is, and how it would have been celebrated historically.

We start off at the start of the Gregorian calendar year with Lenaia. This year, it took place from the 22nd to the 29th of January, which translates to the Attic calendar as the 12th to the 19th of Gamelion. There isn't too much information known about what the festival specifically entails, although there are some hints about it on what are known as Lenaia vases. The vases show scenes related to Lenaia and Anthesteria, but scholars are able to differentiate it by looking at what is depicted on the vase (if it's wine, it's Lenaia). Obviously, the drinking of wine was a pretty important part of the festival, as Dionysos' epithet "Lenaios" means "he of the wine-press". There may also have been elements relating to Dionysos' infancy.

The beautiful thing about Lenaia is that it was so vaguely celebrated, historically speaking. There was wine, and perhaps some plays put on, but other than that, a lot of the festival can be left up to the practitioner.

After Lenaia comes Anthesteria, falling this year on February 20th to the 22nd (Anthesterion 11th-13th), and about which there are a good number of resources. This festival was supposed to be* a springtime festival, which was separated into three days: Pithoigia, Choes, and Chytroi, which can be translated as "Jar Opening", "Jugs", and "Pots". It is strange that Anthesteria covers so many themes - new wine, love, and, at the end, death. However, the article Athens' Festival of the New Wine, by Noel Robertson, offers some important insights on this. It seems that the festival commemorated the myth of Icarius and Erigone, which, for the sake of space (and my own time), I'll link to here: Britannica - Erigone. In short, this festival follows their gift of wine, the drinking of this new wine among the mortals, and Icarius and Erigone's deaths at the hands of shepherds, who did not understand the gift they had been given.

Pithoigia: As the translated name suggests, this is the day of the opening of the wine casks which, up until that moment, had been *fermenting throughout the year. From these casks, the Athenians would libate the first wines out to Dionysos. This was also a day where wine was enjoyed by all, not just by Dionysos - Robertson mentions that in ancient Athens, this was the day during which the wine was mixed.

Choes: Choes is day two, which is the day of Jugs. For lack of a better word, this was the most boisterous day of the entire three-day experience. People of all ages and social classes engaged in wine-drinking contests, while in secret, rites were performed in which the wife of the current king was married to Dionysos. There *was also a tradition in which public shrines were roped off, although this seems to be related to the story of Orestes, who was considered to be an unclean man. Strangely enough, despite the boisterous and celebratory connotations of the day, it was also considered to be an unlucky day.

Chytroi: This third day of Anthesteria likely commemorated the deaths of the two followers of Dionysos who were given the gift of wine-making from Him: Icarius and Erigone. Icarius was killed by shepherds, who believed him to be poisoning them, and Erigone killed herself after finding her dead father. This is where the (with *context, somewhat grim) tradition of swinging at the Anthesteria comes from. This was also the day in which the wine was ritually mixed. This, from what I can gather, means that the wine wasn't necessarily mixed for use among mortals, but rather mixed and consecrated to Dionysos Himself.

Ultimately, Anthesteria is an incredibly complex festival, and I've barely scraped the surface on it in this post. The days are a bit mobile in celebratory orders as well, as it seems that many of the fine points of the festival can be moved around.

The next festival we encounter in the Athenian calendar is the City Dionysia, or Greater Dionysia. This year it falls on March 19th-25th (Elaphebolion 11th-16th). Thankfully, this celebration is one with a lot less ambiguity about its traditions, mainly because it's turned out a lot of things which have stuck around in the world, and remain to this day, such as the Greek plays. In short, this was a large festival which took place in Athens, and involved the production and showing of multiple comedies, dramas, and satyr plays. As the patron of the theater, obviously Dionysos' name was attached to it.

Beyond the theatrical aspect of it, many sources show that Dionysian processions were a pretty big part of the historical celebrations. To be perfectly honest, my view on it is almost like a weeklong Dionysian Mardi Gras.

From here, we have a massive jump of almost half a year to the next festival, which is Kybernesia. This year, it takes place on September 10th, or Boedromion 8th. I have my own hot takes on this long span in which there are no Dionysian festivals, but that's going to wait until another post in which I can truly unleash my full opinions upon the world.

The Kybernesia is celebrated in the modern day as a Dionysian festival, but in all the academic sources I found, it is listed as an Athenian naval festival. One source says that it linked to Theseus after he sailed from Crete, which would maybe explain the potential Dionysian connection, as it was on this journey from Crete to Athens that Theseus abandoned Ariadne on the shores of Naxos. However, if anyone else has a more in-depth source on a Dionysian connection to the Kybernesia, I'd be really happy to see it!

At some point during the month of December was held the Rural Dionysia, which is similar to the City Dionysia, but just... more rural, more rustic, perhaps a bit more rowdy. Its celebration was determined by various local governments, so there's a lot of flexibility on when it can be celebrated. According to @thegrapeandthefig's calendar, "Popular choices [for celebration] include the 7th, 8th, 11th, or 14th."

This is where the current list of Dionysian festivals on the Attic calendar ends. However, it's definitely not the end of celebrated Dionysian festivals in general. There were plenty more outside of Athens which don't have as many resources on their historical celebrations (Lampteria being one). I might go over these festivals in some other post, but for now, y'all get the Athenian calendar!

*supposed to be in spring refers to the fact that, for most folks living in the northern regions of the Northern Hemisphere, it's almost definitely still winter when the Anthesteria rolls around.

Sources:

Lenaia:

Wikipedia - Lenaia

Sarah Pierce - Visual Language and Concepts of Cults on the "Lenaia Vases"

Anthesteria:

Britannica - Anthesteria

Noel Robertson - Athens' Festival of the New Wine

William Nickerson Bates - The Lenaea, The Anthesteria, and the Temple [Limnais]

B. C. Dietrich - A Rite of Swinging During the Anthesteria

City/Greater Dionysia:

Britannica - Great Dionysia

Kybernesia:

Valerij Goušchin - Athenian Synoikism of the Fifth Century B.C., or Two Stories of Theseus

Stephen D. Lambert - Parerga III: The Genesia, Basile and Epops Again (just a note: if you read through these resources, the information on Kybernesia is hidden in the footnotes or only mentioned once in the text.)

Rural Dionysia:

Leonhard Shmitz - Dionysia

Credits:

Thanks to @just-another-dionysus-devotee for suggesting this as a topic! It was really fun to research this topic!

And the divider design in this post is from @cafekitsune

[aceofcupsbiggestfan]

Noumenia

Welcoming the new month, Noumenia is the first day of the new calendar month in the Attic (Athenian) calendar. It is the second day of the three-day festival of Hekate's Deipnon, Noumenia and Agathos Daimon. It's held to honor household Gods, cleanse and clean as well as honor ancestors.

Noumenia is the holiest day of the month. Traditionally, it was held as a day of rest and feasting for ancient Athenians. Men were also said to hold wrestling matches. It is said in Sparta that Kings held out meats and barley for citizens.

Gods worshipped during this day include household gods Hestia, Zeus Ktesios, and Zeus Erkeios. External Gods to aid in calamities were Hermes, Hekate, Apollon Agyieus, Apollon Noumenios and Selene.

Traditionally, a hymn was sung to honor Selene as she began to wax. The hymn can be found here.

Traditional Offerings:

Honey Cakes

New Moon Water

Incense

Flowers / Seasonal Decor

Fresh Meals

Refreshing the Kadiskos and Khernips

Wine

Traditional Acts:

Baking

Cooking a family meal

Wrestling

Cleansing and cleaning

Making Monthly Khernips

Many modern Magissas (Witches) and Hellenic Polytheist revive their homes with a cleansing this day, invoking Hestia and any other Patron Gods/Goddesses.

Links:

https://www.theoi.com/text/homericahymns3.html#32

[prairiefirewitch]

The Attic month of Skirophorion ends July 6th and the month of Hekatombaion begins July 7th. Hekatombaion begins the Athenian New Year and there’s a lot going on. My dates are from Hellenism.org, but you’ll note that my Deipnon, Noumenia, and Agathos Daimon begin a day earlier because I observe Deipnon on the true dark moon the way ancient Greeks would have. Hellenion’s calendar is a great resource, especially if you, like me, aren’t great at math.

Dates marked with an asterisk are monthly observances and are generally household events and not big festivals. Smaller offerings would be made on these dates and it would have been just family or close community. Dates without asterisks, like Kronia or Synoikia are festivals that would have been observed city-wide and would have processions, public sacrifices and offerings, and feasting.

I do not observe every date on the Attic calendar; just Deipnon, Noumenia, and Agathos Daimon, any festivals, and any smaller household days that appeal to me. For example, you’re never going to catch me making offerings to Theseus, the biggest bag of dicks in Greek mythology, but I do observe Athena, Apollo, and whichever other monthly dates that feel right.

[thegodsaremyhome]

Anthesteria

History

Held annually in Anthesterion, Anthesteria was held in honor of Dionysus to celebrate the coming of spring and the maturing of the wine stored from the previous grape harvest. The festival was held from the 11th - 13th of Anthesteria, roughly the end of February. If you want to learn how to track the Ancient Athenian months, you can see this post I made about the Athenian Calendar! Or you could just see this calendar here, since it’s already being tracked for you. 

Anthesterion was a strange holiday, as it was a celebration of the coming spring as well as the dead. Though it’s uncertain whether the month was named after the holiday or vice versa, both derive their names from the Greek word Anthos, meaning flower.

On the first day, casks of wine from the last grape harvest were opened, now that they were finally matured. This day was called Pithoigia (meaning jar opening) after this act. On this day, libations from the wine were poured out for Dionysus. New Spring flowers were used to decorate homes, drinking vessels, and children above the age of three wore them as well.

The second day, Choes (meaning the pouring), as well as the first, were considered unlucky days, as it was believed that souls rose from the underworld on this day to roam the earth. Because of this, on Choes people chewed leaves of hawthorn or buckthorn and smeared their doors with tar to protect themselves and their homes. Some also poured out libations of the graves of loved ones. Despite this, celebrations continued. It was the day for merrymaking, featuring many drinking contests where even slaves and children participated. 

The third day, Chytroi (meaning pots) was a day exclusively dedicated to the dead. Pots of bran or seed were offered to the wandering souls, and fruit or cooked pulse(basically dried legumes) was offered to Hermes Chthonios. No one was permitted to taste these offerings. Souls were then asked to return to the underworld. This was most likely the reason why offerings were given to Hermes as well, as he was the one who led souls to the underworld.

Games were also held on the final day and, although no plays were permitted to be held, there was a rehearsal held for an upcoming drama festival.

Modern Practice

As mentioned above, Anthesteria is in large part, a time to celebrate the new batch of freshly matured wine. Thusly, drinking wine is an obvious choice. To stay authentic, or if you simply don’t want to drink very much, the Ancient Greeks drank their wine watered down. You obviously don’t have to do this, though.

What’s most interesting about this festival is it’s combination of both the welcoming of spring, and life, and the inclusion of the dead. Thus, this holiday could be seen as both a spring celebration, like Ostara or a spring Equinox celebration, as well as a sort of Hellenic Halloween/Samhain/etc. Because of this, I also included Persephone in my Anthesteria this year. 

Typically on the spring equinox, I pick flowers and offer them to Persephone. I also did this for Dionysus on Anthesteria, so to kill two birds with one stone, I offered them both flowers after asking permission from Dionysus to do so. He seemed happy to share the offering, as did Persephone.

As for other options, you could have a feast or a potluck, recite hymns to Dionysus, Hermes, and Persephone if you chose to include Her, make garlands,and making panspermia* as an offering to the dead and to Hermes, pour libations of wine for Dionysus, do a full cleansing of your home or altar, and honor passed on loved ones or ancestors. 

Sources

Anthesteria - Britanica Anthesteria - Wikipedia *Panspermia recipie - Hellenion

(Sorry I wasn’t able to get this out on time, but hopefully it’ll be useful for next year!)

[olympianbutch]

Hi! Since Theogamia is coming up within the next few weeks, I wonder if you have any ideas on how to celebrate it :0

I usually celebrate Theogamia on the last day of January, but this year, I'm attempting to keep up with the reconstructed Athenian calendar!

I'm going to keep my practice of celebrating the Bath of Hera Parthenos on the eve of the Theogamia, the details of which I'll elaborate in case anyone wants to celebrate that with me :)

I carry Hera's idol from her altar to a specially prepared bath, which I make in a concrete bowl that I bought specially for the occasion. I burn incense for the lady and sing hymns/listen to music while I bathe her. I give her additional offerings in the way of libations and food and wrap her in a clean towel when the incense burns out. At that point, I dry her and carry her back to her spot on the altar (next to Zeus 🫶).

Trouble shows itself to me when it comes to actually celebrating the Theogamia. I celebrate it differently each year and haven't found a way of celebrating that fully satisfies me. I pour libations, burn incense, and hymn Hera and Zeus, but not much else. :,)

Therefore, I open the floor to anyone who wishes to share their way of celebrating the Theogamia!

The festival happens in three days, and I'm also strapped for ideas... 😵‍💫

[thegrapeandthefig]

2024 Athenian Calendar

Here we go again. It's December.

For those who don't know: since 2021 I've been making yearly calendars that slap most major Athenian festivals and days on our modern calendar to make keeping track of events easier.

The calendar covers most Athenian festivals:

Those for which we know the exact dates are directly in the calendar grid in all-caps.

Those which we know existed but are too obscure to be probably dated are listed month by month in the "Notes" panel. (Gamelion has none, so this is marked as N/A)

The Noumenia/new moon is indicated in red all caps. If you celebrate Hekate's Deipnon, you can refer to it as a reminder.

Monthly sacred days are in italics.

The "Personal Practice" thing is for whatever you want.

The calendar comes in 2 formats, digital (full colour, like the screenshot above minus my scribbles) and printer-friendly (no image, only black text on white).

If you'd prefer to have a classic physical 26-page wall calendar, I made a version as a Canva template available so it can be customized to your needs and purchased directly from Canva. For clarity, I don't get a penny from any purchases made, you're only paying the platform for printing and shipping.

Download

Digital version (full colour)

Printer friendly version (B&W)

Template:

[Wall calendar Canva template]

[hedgewitchgarden]

This year, the Feast of Hecate, which we’ve adopted into our own craft, falls on the Dark Moon and the peak of the Perseid meteor shower. Several years ago, we published an article on Hecate and the origin of her festival on August 13. In the early 2000’s this festival was commonly ascribed to an aspect of Hecate known as the Lady of Storms with some notion that part of the reason for the festival was to propitiate Her to protect the harvest. Our work and experiences with Our Lady of Night have changed and evolved since that time, and as the feast date continues to grow in popularity, we thought we’d revisit the article.

Back in 2007 we wrote:

There’s not much in the classical literature about [Hecate] being associated with storms, beyond that Zeus ‘gave’ her power over all realms. Her dominion here instead seems to grow out of the “dark and stormy night” image that she developed during the middle ages. There is, however, widespread belief among modern worshipers that she has a feast day on August 13 to protect the crops from violent storms. Wikipedia is perpetuating this belief, citing Leo Ruickbie’s “Witchcraft out of the Shadows” (2004). In a side-box he claims that the ancient Greeks observed a feast day on August 13 in which Hecate was propitiated to not send storms to destroy the growing crops. Ruikbie, in turn, cites his source as Diane Stein’s “The Goddess Book of Days” (Llewellyn, 1997). Her original calendar was published in 1988 and does not give a primary source. Various Internet sites claim that this occurred in the House of Storms and Fertility, that it was a Festival to Hecate of the Moon, or that it was part of the Festival of Hecate and Artemis. Mikalson, in The Sacred and Civil Calendar of the Athenian Year lists for Metageitnion 16 that “the sacrifical calendar of the deme Erkhia prescribes sacrifices on this day to Kourotrophos and Artemis Hekate.” Metageitnion is the Attic lunar month that lines up with late July/August. The 16th would be two days after the full moon (July 31, this year). Unfortunately, I cannot find what occurred during the rite (if anything specific at all). Still, this doesn’t explain why August 13 was chosen, fixed as it is to the Roman solar year instead of the lunar calendar used by the ancient Greeks. Also, there is never any mention as to why Hecate would be called to protect crops (as opposed to children and mothers-to-be). According to Brumfield in his book The Attic festivals of Demeter and their Relation to the Agricultural Year (1976), during the time of the year we call August, the grain harvest had been completed and the grape harvest would not have begun until September. August was a lull in the agricultural year and nothing needed to be protected from violent storms. A few clues come to light when we stop looking for ancient Greek sources. In Rome, The Festival of Torches was held on August 13, called the Nemoralia. In it, woman would walk from the city of Rome carrying torches to a lake sacred to Diana where they would offer their petitions. There was a strong conflation between Artemis and Hecate in Greece, with Hecate taking on a number of Artemis’ roles. Diana and Hecate were also conflated some, but typically maintained separate spheres of influence. Still, this seems to be a likely source for fixing the ritual on that particular date. Additionally, in 1986 a ritual performed on August 14, 1985, was published in Circle Network News which invoked Hecate Chthonia and incorporated a Hecate Supper. A web page by that author claims that a similar ritual incorporating much of the same text was performed at the MoonStone Circle of the Aquarian Tabernacle and published in Panegyria on August 13, 1988. The original date it was performed, August 14, 1985, was a dark moon, which has been a sacred time for Hecate since classical times. The other date, though, perhaps inspired by Stein’s recently published Goddess Book of Days, was a waxing gibbous. None of this explains a connection with storms or harvests, however. This strikes me as a purely Neopagan phenomenon rising out of widespread observance of harvest-type rituals during early August, the most common being the Celtic feast of Lughnasadh.

Eight years later, we still suspect the modern Feast of Hecate held on August 13 comes from the Nemoralia, the festival of Diana held in the groves at Nemi. This cult has a long association with modern paganism, being the inspiration and central study in Sir James Frazer’s The Golden Bough which, in turn, formed a pillar of the neo-pagan movement.

The goddess Diana as she was worshiped in the groves as Nemi possessed a triple form, not unlike the triform figure of Hekate that is familiar to many modern witches. One of the three was known classically as Hecate or Proserpina, something which has troubled me. Why is a Latin Goddess being called by the name of a different Greek goddess? Is it syncretism, like the conflation of Artemis and Hecate, and Artemis and Diana. CMC Green in Roman Religion and the Cult of Diana at Aricia offers this plausible explanation: “The identification of Diana with Hecate (a Greek name) has been made unnecessarily complicated. Diana the Huntress was identified with the moon, as Apollo was with the sun. As the moon grows dark once a month it is inevitable that a moon-goddess will have some part of her identity located in the underworld. Hecate is simply the Greek name for that part of her identity.” The names Hecate and Proserpina were also likely considered safe substitutes for the true name of the Underworld Moon.

There are numerous classical references to this association. One of Horace’s Odes mentions Diva Triformis, and Virgils Dido calls on “tergeminanque hecaten, tria virginis ora Dianae.” Isodore of Seville writing in the first century explains: “Concerning which Virgil writes..the three faces of the virgin Diana, because the same goddess is called Luna, Diana, and Proserpina”. This tripartate Diana persisted through the centuries, showing up in triple form in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales and John Skelton’s Garland of Laurels in 1523 (“Diana in the leaves green, Luna that so bright doth sheen, Persephone in hell”). As mentioned previously, her cult instigated James Frazer’s life work The Golden Bough and influenced Robert Graves’ The White Goddess, through which the concept of the triple goddess was introduced to modern Wicca.

To return to the August festival which honored the three-fold goddess, Green’s translation of one of the poems composed by the Latin poet Statius in the 1st century CE is appropriate:

It is the season when the most scorching region of the heavens takes over the land and the keen dog-star Sirius, so often struck by Hyperion’s sun, burns the gasping fields. Now is the day when Trivia’s Arician grove, convenient for fugitive kings, grows smoky, and the lake, having guilty knowledge of Hyppolytus, glitters with the reflection of the multitude of torches; Diana herself garlands the deserving hunting dogs and polishes the arrowheads and allows the wild animals to go in safety, and at virtuous hearths all Italy celebrates the Hecatean Ides.

Finally, Green (really, just go pick up her book) suggests that the festival lasted 3 days, starting with her decent to the underworld on the Ides (August 13th) where she would be known as Hecate, and culminating on the 15th of August when she ascended as the Queen of Heaven, the full moon. Incidentally the 15th is celebrated as the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, Queen of Heaven, in the Christian church, who may have adopted this (non-infernal) part of the festival.

Today, the August 13 Feast of Hecate has grown immensely in popularity among modern pagans, and includes many individual observances as well as larger public rites such as Hecate’s Feast hosted by the Temple of Witchcraft. We conclude that the Hecate honored at these rites isn’t necessarily the Greek goddess of boundaries or Lady of Storms, but they are an indirect continuation of rites to the dread face of Diva Triformis as goddess of night, the queen of the dark moon roaming the underworld. This year, in addition to feasting on delicious Mediterranean food and wine, we’ll celebrate by giving offerings at the crossroads under the shower of falling stars and ritually blending an offertory incense for use in the coming year, Hecate the Saffron Clad. From the classical torch-lit rites within the grove at Nemi to modern observances by pagans and witches, August 13 brings together all those who form the conclave of the goddess of night. May she bless you all.

[hyakinthou-naos]

Hi! There is an Spartan Calendar in Hellenic Polytheism? I know it used the Athenian one, but me, who want to worship Apollon and Hyakinthos togheter like in Amyklae, would like to know when Hyakinthia comes... I thought is in this month, but i'm not sure... Do you know in which month the festival was celebrated?

I am using this answering post to announce our upcoming Hyakinthia Ceremony. More info after the answer.

Khaire Anon,

I will readily admit I did not know this information off the top of my head, so I wanted to check my sources before answering.

In general, the reason you will see the Athenian Calendar most often used by Hellenics, is because it is the calendar we know the most about. While we do know some things about the calendars of other Ancient Greek regions - it is usually more fragmented or incomplete when compared to the Athenian Calendar.

In the same vein, we don’t know *everything* about the Athenian Calendar or even Athenian Religious Practices - but it is the region we know the most about at this time.

If you are doing research on the Spartan Calendar you should also try searching for and reading about the Laconian Calendar. Based on current research, the Laconian Calendar is believed to be very similar (if not the same as) the Spartan Calendar. And from my sources, it would appear we know slightly more about the Laconians as opposed to the Spartans.

Regarding Hyakintha, according to Harper’s Dictionary of Classical Antiques by Harry Peck (2002), Hyakintha was celebrated for three days during the month of July. The exact three days are presumably unknown based on my sources.

I’d recommend giving them a look to learn more.

[Source 1] [Source 2]

I hope this helped!

- Aön

—————————————

Announcing The Temple of Hyacinthus’

Hyakintha Service

August 6th, 7th, and 8th

More info here

Hyakínthia honors the myth of Hyacinthus, the lover of Lord Apollo who was admired for his beauty and athleticism. This joyous event pays homage to romantic love, growth through change, and the wonder of nature.

This year, the Temple of Hyacinthus will be hosting religious services through a series of posts that will include prayers, the retelling of myths, and Ritual Speeches.

There will also be posts regarding celebration preparation - such as traditional attire, modern rites, and even some recipes!

Join us on August 6th, 7th, and 8th for our inaugural Hyakintha Service.

Eirene, peace and farewell,

[diana-thyme]

how do you know athenian holidays? what resources do you use to follow the holidays?

I use Hellenion’s calendar!

[urne-buriall]

My fandom brain: noooo prom night ahhh

The tiny corner of my brain not consumed by fic: wow I just picked my sibling up from their last day of school and they had prom a month ago, while my last day of college classes was two weeks ago. What kind of school calendar is this? Poor Dean

(not a critique I'm just fascinated with how different school calendars can be)

UGH school calendars. so I'm Canadian and we do things on a different timeline here. when I was starting out I wasn't sure if I wanted to set the story in Texas or Montana or Alberta and looked at a bunch of yearbooks from 1997 for all these places (look how normal I am as a researcher, surely this is normal fic-writing practice)

in the states, exams often took place in the 2nd or 3rd week of May in the yearbooks I looked at. typically, Prom was 2-3 weeks out from exams, but some held it closer to and some had it after exams as a post-high school celebration

in my head, the exams take place May 20-23. given the area he's in, Dean goes to a small, rural high school and it takes less than a week to pack those exams in. ultimately, it wasn't the most typical timeline based on my research, but it also wasn't out of bounds or unprecedented

Sam's school calendar was also a frequent piece of math for me. his school is based off The Athenian School in the SF Bay Area, including the Wilderness Experience which I did not make up for the story, apart from taking them further afield than the real school usually goes

[kore-siciliana]

My libation to Hermes on the 4th of Mounykhion in the Athenian calendar. The night is stormy. There's no better time to honor the Theoi and sit in meditation with them.