|
|
Post by Mari Opal on Feb 4, 2015 20:21:54 GMT -6
(I'm not any kind of an expert on ancient Greece, so please view this as a starting place for research and/or feel free to correct or elaborate on any of it.)
Reconstructed Hellenic polytheism faces a significant challenge in terms of building a calendar. For one, most of our information comes from Athens and its environs. For two, Greece didn't really have 'national' holidays -- there were significant differences from one region to another in terms of which holidays were celebrated, when they were celebrated, how they were celebrated, etc. It's a rather confusing mess, and that's without even delving into all of the information we just plain don't have.
On top of that, many of the holidays are seasonal -- that is, they have ties to the particular weather and agricultural events of the time of year in which they take place. This can pose a significant challenge if you live in a markedly different climate than Greece -- should you celebrate those holidays at a time of year when their associations and context make sense for you, or should you stick to, say, the Hellenion calendar so that you can celebrate them 'with' others around the world (or, for that matter, just because you want to maintain that tie to ancient Greece)?
I don't have answers to any of these questions, obviously; I'd never try to tell someone how the holidays should be celebrated or even which ones to celebrate. What I wanted to do here is open a space to talk about holidays -- choosing which to celebrate, how you celebrate, when you celebrate, which holidays you've added or invented, anything related to holidays! (Why? Because holidays are a big part of how we incorporate culture and beliefs into our lives, and because I like holidays dang it.)
|
|
bayoread
Newbie
Posts: 13 
Pronouns: she/her
Religion: Hellenic Polytheist
|
Post by bayoread on Feb 5, 2015 11:27:25 GMT -6
I made a very brief calendar based on ancient and modern festivals, tailored towards my local area. I've also omitted ancient festivals for occasions that don't really effect me (Like the Panathenia) or for gods that I don't click with. (Stuff like the Thargalia.)
January – Libation to Hera
Possibly keep this for something to do in the shitty January weather. Winter wheat sowing.
February – Libation to Aphrodite
Full Moon week - Lenaia. Dionysos festival.
Theogamia. Zeus & Hera sacred marriage.
March – Libation to Hephaistos
Full Moon week - Anthesteria. A three-day festival that literally means Festival of Flowers, it celebrates the Spring, new wine and the dead.
Lesser Mysteries. Persephone & Demeter. Summer Barley, Wheat & Sugar Beet being sown. Persephone’s return.
Lambing Season – Pan & the Nymphs.
April – Libation to Artemis & Apollon
Offerings to the Horai & Kharites.
May – Libation to Zeus
May always has two bank holidays, think of something.
June – Libation to Athena
7th June – D Day. Hero/Ancester offerings.
21st Prometheia. Modern solstice festival.
July – Libation to Hermes
4th Aphrodisia. Bathing festival of Aphrodite.
Second Week/20th Kronia. Kronos the Harvester. Winter cereal harvest. Pea harvest.
August – Libation to Ares
Fourth Week – Cereal harvest.
September – Libation to Demeter & Persephone
First/Second Week - Cereal & Beet harvest continued.
7th Niketeria. Offering to Nike.
21st Autumn Equinox.
October – Libation to Poseidon
Thesmophoria. Persephone’s descent into the underworld.
November – Libation to Hades
11th – Poppy Memorial Day. Hero/Ancestor offerings.
December – Libation to Dionysos
19th & 20th Heliogennia.
|
|
Caelesti
Junior Member
Posts: 50
Pronouns: She/Her
Religion: ADF/UU, Modern American Polytheist
|
Post by Caelesti on Mar 25, 2015 21:06:48 GMT -6
I tried Hellenic polytheism at one point, but the issues I had with festivals were too much of a stumbling block. For one, the climate I live in is about the opposite of Greece- it's more like Moscow! I also found that while the gods and myths were familiar, the culture was a huge disconnect from my own. I think an approach that might make more sense for people outside of Greece is to create your own holidays based on your culture- like civic and secular holidays while looking to ancient Greek festivals for ideas and inspiration. I still have interest in the Greek gods, just trying to figure out where they fit in.
|
|
callisto
Junior Member
Posts: 54
Religion: Dodekatheism
|
Post by callisto on May 25, 2015 12:30:49 GMT -6
I think the thing to keep in mind is that there were two primary parts to ancient Hellenic religion, household worship and civic festivals. While most books until recently focused on public worship it was household worship that was the backbone and majority expression of the religion via the daily honoring of the gods. Just as not all public festivals were pan-Hellenic, thus not everyone observed them, similarly applies here. I would say the recurring monthly holy days like the Noumenia are the most essential. The rest is incorporated to the best of one's ability and circumstance.
As to the calendar, the festivals were either about the polis or they were seasonal. So if a festival does not pertain to a specific season, there is no reason not to keep to the traditional date. As for festivals that are tied to the seasons, when to mark those is up to the individual for the most part. One can either choose to stick steadfastly to tradition and keep the same date as held in Hellas, thus being in synch with the customary calendar and with others also celebrating, or adjust them to have more of a local connection by conducting when the given season occurs locally.
|
|
callisto
Junior Member
Posts: 54
Religion: Dodekatheism
|
Post by callisto on May 25, 2015 19:37:00 GMT -6
There is an article on The Wild Hunt about a recent celebrating of Thargelia by YSEE (The Supreme Council of Ethnikoi Hellenes) which took place on May 17th in both Athens and on the island of Rhodes. link: Thargelia once again celebrated in Greece |
|
|
|
Post by Mari Opal on Jun 4, 2015 15:49:55 GMT -6
As to the calendar, the festivals were either about the polis or they were seasonal. So if a festival does not pertain to a specific season, there is no reason not to keep to the traditional date. As for festivals that are tied to the seasons, when to mark those is up to the individual for the most part. One can either choose to stick steadfastly to tradition and keep the same date as held in Hellas, thus being in synch with the customary calendar and with others also celebrating, or adjust them to have more of a local connection by conducting when the given season occurs locally. bolded -- that's rather the point I'm getting at. What I hear from most people weighing how to approach the calendar is that they have to choose between what makes the most sense for them and what sustains the sense of community that most of us have little enough of to begin with. That sense of community is a reason to keep to the traditional dates. Whether or not it is a compelling or persuasive reason will, of course, depend on the person, and I'm not saying anyone should keep to those dates. Simply that there is a perfectly good and understandable reason to do so, one that I know plenty of people adhere to. |
|
callisto
Junior Member
Posts: 54
Religion: Dodekatheism
|
Post by callisto on Jun 4, 2015 16:41:46 GMT -6
My post wasn't intended as a critique, rather simply adding my own 2 coppers. It appears our perspectives are not far apart.  |
|
|
|
Post by Mari Opal on Jun 6, 2015 18:57:43 GMT -6
I appreciate your coppers! And thank you for elaborating, in your post -- I think you added valuable information and context. I'm not always great at fully articulating thoughts ^^;
|
|
|
|
Post by mysteriousalex on Nov 8, 2015 16:29:59 GMT -6
I recently made a calendar for my practice. I work with Hades, Persephone and Ares so the holidays are based around them. It's rather long so I won't bore you with details but I got the majority of my festivals from personal practice, various Tumblr devotees and Aspis of Ares, a lovely blog if you are trying to start working with Ares.
|
|
