On the third day of theAnthesteria festival inAthens, during late February and early March, in honor ofDionysus, theHydrophoria (Ancient Greek:Υδροφόρια) took place, commemorating those who perished in the Flood ofDeucalion.

The Athenians would throwwheatflour kneaded with honey to thechthonic deities into a chasm located in the sanctuary of Earth Olympia, which was situated in thetemple of Olympian Zeus. This temple was constructed by Deucalion when he arrived in Athens.^[1]

At the end of the ceremony, it was believed that the souls returned to theUnderworld, and thus the people would shout:Thyraze Kares, ouket' Anthesteria ("Out, Kares, the Anthesteria is over").

This particular ritual is reminiscent of theChristianPsychosavvata (Saturdays of the Souls).

Hydrophoria was also the name of the contests held inAegina during the Delphinia festival in honor ofApollo. These contests commemorated the offering of drinking water to theArgonauts during their expedition toIolcus.

• Nilsson, Martin P. (1906).Griechische Feste von religiöser Bedeutung mit Ausschluss der attischen. Leipzig: B.G. Teubner. p. 172. (in German)

• William Smith; William Wayte; G. E. Marindin, eds. (1890). "HYDRIAPHORÍA".A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities.

• Archived version of "Anthesteria" from the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica

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