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TheOschophoria (Greek:ὀσχοφόρια or ὠσχοφόρια) were a set ofancient Greek festival rites held inAthens during the monthPyanepsion (autumn) in honor ofDionysus, the god of the vine. The festival may have had both agricultural and initiatory functions.[1] Amidst much singing of special songs, two young men dressed in women's clothes would bear branches with grape-clusters attached (ὠσχοί) from Dionysus to the sanctuary ofAthena Skiras, and a footrace followed in which selectephebes competed.[2] Ancient sources[3] connect the festival and its rituals to the Athenian hero-kingTheseus and specifically to his return from hisCretan adventure. According to that myth, the Cretan princessAriadne, whom Theseus had abandoned on the island ofNaxos while voyaging home, was rescued by an admiring Dionysus; thus the Oschophoria may have honored Ariadne as well.[4] A section of the ancientcalendar frieze incorporated into the ByzantinePanagia Gorgoepikoos church in Athens, corresponding to the month Pyanopsion (alternate spelling), has been identified as an illustration of this festival's procession.[5]
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