Ancient Greek Festivals and Rites

Don · April 27, 2022 at 5:27 AM

This link gives an idea of the rites and festivals in which Epicurus may have participated. It's an Ancient Greek neo-pagan website, but they give a good description of each of the festivals. This is also my preferred source for a reconstructed Ancient Greek calendar for determining Epicurus's birthday. Enjoy.

Kalosyni · June 20, 2022 at 9:59 AM

I found this on summer solstice festivals:

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Ancient Greeks
According to certain iterations of the Greek calendar—they varied widely by region and era—the summer solstice was the first day of the year. Several festivals were held around this time, including Kronia, which celebrated the agriculture god Cronus. The strict social code was temporarily turned on its head during Kronia, with slaves participating in the merriment as equals or even being served by their masters. The summer solstice also marked the one-month countdown to the opening of the Olympic games.

Ancient Romans
In the days leading up to the summer solstice, ancient Romans celebrated the Vestalia festival, which paid tribute to Vesta, the goddess of the hearth. Rituals included the sacrifice of an unborn calf remove from its mother’s womb. This was the only time of the year when married women were allowed to enter the sacred temple of the vestal virgins and make offerings to Vesta there.

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