gtp logo

Location information

Listed 7 sub titles with search on: Ancients' feasts, games and rituals  for wider area of: "WEST GREECE Region GREECE" .


Ancients' feasts, games and rituals (7)

Festivals for gods and gods' deeds

In honour of Athena

ALIFIRA (Ancient city) ILIA
They keep a general festival in honor of some god or other; I think in honor of Athena. At this festival they sacrifice first to Fly-catcher, praying to the hero over the victims and calling upon the Fly-catcher. When they have done this the flies trouble them no longer.

Thyia

ILIS (Ancient city) ILIA
Festival of Dionysus at Elis.

Heraea

The Heraea of Elis were celebrated every fifth year, or in the fourth year of every Olympiad. (Corsini, Dissert. iii. 30.) The festival was chiefly celebrated by maidens, and conducted by sixteen matrons who wove the sacred peplus for the goddess. But before the solemnities commenced, these matrons sacrificed a pig, and purified themselves in the well Piera (Paus. v. 16,5). One of the principal solemnities was a race of the maidens in the stadium, for which purpose they were divided into three classes, according to their age. The youngest ran first and the oldest last. Their only dress on this occasion was a chiton, which came down to the knee, and their hair was floating. She who won the prize received a garland of oliveboughs, together with a part of a cow which was sacrificed to Hera, and might dedicate her own painted likeness in the temple of the goddess. The sixteen matrons were attended by as many female attendants, and performed two dances; the one called the dance of Physcoa, the other the dance of Hippodameia. Respecting further particulars, and the history of this solemnity, see Paus. v. 16,2; Hermann, Gottesd. Alterth.51, n. 3.

This extract is from: A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities (1890) (eds. William Smith, LLD, William Wayte, G. E. Marindin). Cited April 2005 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks


Hemerasia

LOUSSES (Ancient city) KALAVRYTA
They were games in honour of Artemis Hemerasia, at the sanctuary of whom Melambus cured the daughters of Proetus from madness. The games were open to people who were not inhabitants of Lusi (Ekd. Athinon, Pausaniou Periegissis, vol. 4, p.247, note 2).

Laphria

PATRAI (Ancient city) ACHAIA
Festival of Artemis.

Games

Actia, (Aktia)

AKTION (Ancient port) ETOLOAKARNANIA
   A festival celebrated every three years at Actium in Epirus, with wrestling, horseracing, and sea-fights, in honour of Apollo. There was a celebrated temple of Apollo at Actium, which is mentioned by Thucydides and Strabo. After the defeat of Antony off Actium, Augustus enlarged the temple, and instituted games to be celebrated every four years in commemoration of his victory.

This text is from: Harry Thurston Peck, Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities. Cited Nov 2002 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks


Heraea

OLYMPIA (Ancient sanctuary) ILIA
Festival of Hera, consisting of race between virgins.

You are able to search for more information in greater and/or surrounding areas by choosing one of the titles below and clicking on "more".

GTP Headlines

Receive our daily Newsletter with all the latest updates on the Greek Travel industry.

Subscribe now!
Greek Travel Pages: A bible for Tourism professionals. Buy online

Ferry Departures

Promotions

ΕΣΠΑ