TheAnthesteria (/ˌænθɪˈstɪəriə/;Ancient Greek:Ἀνθεστήρια[antʰestέːri.a]) was one of the fourAthenian festivals in honor ofDionysus. It was held each year from the 11th to the 13th of the month ofAnthesterion,[a] around the time of the January or Februaryfull moon.[b] The three days of the feast were calledPithoigia,Choës, andChytroi.
The festival celebrated the beginning of spring, particularly the maturing of the wine stored at the previous vintage,[3] whosepithoi (storage-jars) were now ceremoniously opened. During the feast, social order was interrupted or inverted, the slaves being allowed to participate, uniting the household in ancient fashion. The Anthesteria also had aspects of afestival of the dead: either theKeres (Κῆρες) or the Carians (Κᾶρες)[c] were entertained, freely roaming the city until they were expelled after the festival. However, the word Keres is often used to refer spirits of evil instead of the dead. A Greek proverb, employed of those who pestered for continued favors, ran "Out of doors, Keres! It is no longer Anthesteria".[4]
The name is usually connected withanthes- (ἀνθεσ-), the combining form ofanthos (ἄνθος, 'flower').[3] This iscognate withSanskritandhas ('soma plant')[5] and may have referred to the 'bloom' of thegrape vine.[3] TheCambridge ritualistA. W. Verrall, however, glossed the name as a Feast of Revocation (ἀναθέσσασθαι,anathessasthai, to "pray up") in reference to the aspects of the festival where the dead were considered to walk among the living.[6]Harrison also regarded the Anthesteria as primarily concerned with placating ancestral spirits.[7]
Athenians of the Classical age were aware that the festival was of great antiquity. Its ritual marriage of a queen to Dionysus recallsmyths concerningTheseus andAriadne,[8] but this is no longer considered a dependable sign that the festival had been celebrated in the Minoan period. Since the festival was celebrated by Athens and all the Ionian cities, however, it is assumed that it must have preceded theIonian migration of the late eleventh or early tenth century BC. This still makes it the oldest datable part of theEleusinian Mysteries.
The first day wasPithoigia (Πιθοίγια,lit. 'The Jar-Opening').[d] The jars of wine (pithoi) from the previous year were opened, libations offered toDionysus, and the entire household (includingslaves) joining in the festivities. Spring flowers were used to decorate the rooms of the house, the home's drinking vessels, and any children over three years of age.[9]
The days on which thePithoigia andChoës were celebrated were both regarded asapophrades (ἀποφράδες, 'unlucky'; Latin equivalentnefasti) andmiarai (μιαραί, 'defiled'), necessitating expiatory libations. On them, the souls of the dead came up from the underworld and walked abroad. People chewed leaves ofhawthorn orbuckthorn[10] and besmeared their doors with tar to protect themselves from evil. Nonetheless, the festive character of the ceremonies predominated.[11]
The second day wasChoës (Χοαί,Khoaí,lit. 'The Pouring'). Merrymaking continued: people dressed themselves gaily, some in the figures of Dionysus's entourage, and paid a round of visits to their acquaintances. Drinking clubs held contests to see who could drain their cups the most rapidly. These competitions were done in silence and slaves were also allowed to participate. Others poured libations on the tombs of deceased relatives. The day also marked a state occasion: a peculiarly solemn and secret ceremony in the sanctuary of Dionysus 'in the marshes' (ἐν λίμναις,en límnais), which was closed throughout the rest of the year.[9] Despite the name, there were no actual marshes in the immediate surroundings of Athens[e] and the sanctuary was located in theBouleuterion in theAthenian Agora. Athens' ritual queen, thebasilinna, underwent aceremony of marriage to the god. She was assisted by thegerarai, 14 Athenian matrons chosen by her husband thearchon basileus, who were sworn to secrecy.[9]Burkert regarded the ceremony as a recreation of the yielding ofAriadne toDionysus byTheseus during their escape from Crete.[12]
The third day wasChytroi (Χύτροι,Khýtroi,lit. 'The Pots'),[f] afestival of the dead. Fruit or cookedpulse was offered toHermes in his capacity as Hermes Chthonios, an underworld figure, and to the souls of the dead, who were then bidden to depart.[11] None of the Olympians were included and no one tasted thepottage, which was food of the dead. Celebration continued andgames were held. Although no performances were allowed at the theater, a sort of rehearsal took place, at which the players for the ensuing dramatic festival were selected.[9]
Attribution:
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911), "Anthesteria",Encyclopædia Britannica, vol. 2 (11th ed.), Cambridge University Press, pp. 93–94 Endnotes: