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| Athena on a Panathenic amphora, or ceramic vase, which would have been filled with oil and given as a prize at the games -- which were held "around 28th day of Hekatombion, the first month in the Athenian calendar (roughly July)." (National Archaeological Museum of Athens). |
What were the major communal events in Athens?
When were they held and who attended?
What did they do at these events, aside from, and including, public performance?
GREEK CALENDAR
"There was no single Greek calendar. Almost every Greek community had a calendar of its own, differing from others in the names of the months and the date of the New Year. All were, at least originally, lunar. The months were named after festivals held or deities specially honoured in them. Dios and Artemisios, Macedonian months, were named after Zeus and Artemis; Anthesterion at Athens from the festival Anthesteria. Such month names are found in Hesiod.The Athenian calendar is best known. The year began, in theory, with the appearance of the first new moon after the summer solstice, and the months were Hekatombaion, Metageitnion, Boedromion, Pyanopsion, Maimakterion, Posideon, Gamelion, Anthesterion, Elaphebolion, Mounichion, Thar‐gelion, and Skirophorion. from"The Oxford Dictionary of the Classical World"
MONTHS OF THE ATHENIAN FESTIVAL CALENDAR
- Hekatombion (thought to have begun with the first new moon after the summer solstice) (Kronia in honor of Cronus and Rhea; Synoikia in honor of Athena(?) and Eirene; Panathenaia in honor of Athena)
- Metageitnion (Heracleia in honor of Heracles; Eleutheria in honor of Zeus)
- Boedromion (Gemesia/Nemesia/Nekysia in honor of Gaia; Marathon celebration in honor of Artemis; Boedromia in honor of Apollo; Charisteria perhaps in honor of Athena; Eleusinia in honor of Demeter and Persephone; Asklepeia, in honor of Asclepius)
- Pyanepsion (Pyanopsia in honor of Apollo; Oschophoria in honor of Apollo; Theseia; Thesmophoria in honor of Demeter and Persephone; Apatouria in honor of Zeus Phratrios and Athena; Chalkeia in honor of Athena and Hephaestus)
- Maimakterion
- Poseidon (Country Dionysia in honor of Dionysus; Haloia)
- Gamelion (Epilinaia in honor of Dionysus; Theogamia in honor of Zeus and Hera)
- Anthesterion (Anthisteria in honor of Dionysus; Lesser Mysteries in honor of Demeter, Persephone, and Dionysus; Diaisia in honor of Zeus Meilichios)
- Elaphebolion (City Dionysia in honor of Dionysus; Pandia in honor of Zeus)
- Munychion (Delphinia in honor of Apollo; Mounichia in honor of Artemis; Olympieia in honor of Zeus;)
- Thargelion (Thargelia in honor of Apollo; Bendideia in honor of Artemis Bendis; Kallynteria in honor of Athena; Plynteria in honor of Athena)
- Skirophorion (Skira/Skiraphoria in honor of Athena; Dipolia/Disoteria in honor of Zeus Polieus)
Wikipedia has a page on the various festivals: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athenian_festivals
PANATHENAIA
The most important festival each year in Athens was the Panathenaia. Held in honor of the protecting goddess of the city, this festival included the Panathena games -- not to be confused with the more wide-reaching Panhellenic Games (the Olympic games honorong Zeus, the Pythian games for Apollo, the Nemean games for Zeus, and the Isthmian games for Poseidon). At Athena's festival, the victors were given olive oil; at the others listed above, an olive wreath, laurel wreath, wild celery & pine wreaths.Amid the processions, feasts, athletic & equestrian contests, boat races, sacrifices and hymns to Athena (among other activities) there was a Musical Contest and the performance of the Pyrrhic dance.
Musical Contest, recitations of Homeric poems and, "in later times other poets (e. g. Choerilus of Samos, fl. 420 B.C.) obtained the privilege of being recited at the Panathenaea (Suidas, s. v. Choirilos). The musical contest proper was introduced by Pericles, who built the new Odeum for the purpose (Plut. Pericl. 13). Previously the recitations of the rhapsodes were in the old unroofed Odeum." (http://www.theoi.com/Festival/Panathenaia.html, Aug. 14, 2014)
"The Pyrrhic dance, performed at both the Greater and Lesser Panathenaea (Lys. Accept. Mun. Def. § § 1, 4). With the Euandria and the Lampadedromia it belonged to the more strictly religious part of the festival (cf. Aristoph. Nub. 988 and Schol.). Athena was said to have danced the Pyrrhic dance after her victory over the Giants (Dionys. Hal. vii. 72). As belonging to the religious part of the festival, the prize was an ox for sacrifice, and bore the special title of nikêtêrion (cf. Xen. Cyr. viii. 3, 33, where the ox alone is called nikêtêrion, not the goblets: also Mommsen, 163; Rangabé, ii. p. 671). There were Pyrrhic dancers of all three ages--paides, ageneioi, and andres. A relief published by Beulé (L'Acropole d'Athènes, ii., last plate but one) presents eight armed youths performing the Pyrrhic dance. A full body of Pyrrhicists would then be twenty-four, the number of a comic chorus. They wear a light helmet, carry a shield on their left arms, but are otherwise naked. How the victory was gained in the Pyrrhic dance and the Euandria is not stated; probably by decision of a judge. The. figure on the left of the relief may be perhaps. the judge." (http://www.theoi.com/Festival/Panathenaia.html, Aug. 14, 2014)
The most important festivals for theater were the City Dionysia and the festival of Lenaia.
But another festival to read about is the Thesmophoria, one of the festivals exclusively for women.
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