Daphnephoria was a festival held every ninth year atThebes in Boeotia in honour ofApollo Ismenius orGalaxius.
The Daphnephoria consisted of a procession in which the chief figure was a boy of good family and noble appearance, whose father and mother must be alive. With young participants, the procession was able to combine components together, which signified an important stage or rite of passage.[1] Immediately in front of this boy, who was called the Daphnephoros ('laurel bearer'), walked one of his nearest relatives, carrying anolive branch hung with laurel and flowers and having on the upper end a bronze ball from which hung several smaller balls. Another smaller ball was placed on the middle of the branch or pole (which was called a κώπω), which was then twined round with purple ribbons, and at the lower end with saffron ribbons. These balls were said to indicate the sun, stars and moon, while the ribbons referred to the days of the year, being 365 in number.[2] The Daphnephoros, wearing a golden crown, or a wreath of laurel, richly dressed and partly holding the pole, was followed by a chorus of maidens carrying suppliant branches and singing a hymn to the god.[2]
The Daphnephoros dedicated abronze tripod in the temple of Apollo, andPausanias (ix. 10.4) mentions the tripod dedicated there byAmphitryon when his sonHeracles had been Daphnephoros. The festival is described byProclus, quoted byPhotius in hisBibliotheca, codex 239.[2]
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Daphnephoria".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 7 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 825–826.