The Athenian Festival Calendar

1
The Athenian Festival Calendar

• The Calendar Generally
• The Festival Calendar
• The Other Calendar
• The Months of the Festival Year
• Every Month
• What was a Festival?
• The Principal Festivals
• The Festivals of Demeter

2
The Calendar Generally

• every polis had its own
• months named differently to accord with different
  deities honored
• different new year days in different poleis
• all were lunar
• everything here refers to Athens

3
The Festival Calendar

• lunar based on cycles of moon
• 12 months of 29 or 30 days with intercalation
• huh? intercalation adding a month
• new year day of new moon following summer
  solstice 6/22/2001

4
The Other Calendar

• The Civic Calendar
• ten months, each 1/10 of the year (35-39 days)
• based on ten tribes of Athens
• each tribe in charge of running major organs of
  government for one month

5
The Months of the Festival Year

• Hekatombaion
• Metageitnion
• Boedromion
• Pyanespsion
• Maimakterion
• Posideion

• Gamelion
• Anthesterion
• Elaphebolion
• Mounichion
• Thargelion
• Skirophorion

6
Every Month

• first day - Noumenia New Moon Day
• 3rd day - dedicated to Athena
• 6th day - dedicated to Artemis
• 7th day - dedicated to Apollo
• 8th day - dedicated to Poseidon

7
What was a Festival?

• Sacrifices to the god(s) and feasting
• Processions
• Athletic Competitions (races, etc.)
• Artistic Competitions (song and dance dramatic
  performances)
• some or all of the above
• plus events specific to the festival

8
The Principal Festivals 1

• Panathenaia
• Hekatombaion 23-30
• presentation of new robe to Athena
• Eleusinian Mysteries
• Boedromion 15-21
• rites for Demeter
• Thesmophoria
• Pyanepsion 11-13
• Demeter and Persephone

9
The Principal Festivals 2

• Apatouria
• Pyanepsion 19-21 (?)
• initiation of boys into fathers groups
• Anthesteria
• Anthesterion 11-13
• wine flowers rites for Dionysus
• Greater Dionysia
• Elaphebolion 10-16
• dramatic performances for Dionysus

10
The Festivals of Demeter

• Eleusinian Mysteries - Boedromion
• Stenia - Pyanepsion
• Thesmophoria - Pyanepsion
• Haloa - Posideon
• Skirophoria - Skirophorion

11
Hekatombaion

• July August
• watering young trees 3
• harvest grains legumes 2
• fallow ploughing 1
• thresh process grain for storage 1
• Panathenaia

12
Metageitnion

• August September
• fig harvest 1
• watering
• no major festivals

13
Boedromion

• September October
• fig harvest 2
• vintage
• manure clear fields 1
• watering
• Eleusinian Mysteries

14
Pyanepsion

• October November
• manure clear fields 2
• trench prune vines 1
• trench prune olive trees1
• olive picking pressing 1
• Apatouria
• Thesmophoria Stenia
• Chalkeia

15
Maimakterion

• November December
• trench prune vines 2
• trench prune olive trees 2
• olive picking pressing 2
• plough and sow grain
• lambing kidding 1
• no major festivals

16
Poseideion

• December January
• lambing kidding 2
• Haloa
• Rural Dionysia
• this is extra month added for intercalation when
  necessary

17
Gamelion

• January February
• lambing kidding 3
• milking milk processing 1
• fallow ploughing 1
• Lenaion
• Lesser Mysteries ( start of Anthesterion)

18
Anthesterion

• February March
• lambing kidding 4
• fallow ploughing 2
• milking milk processing 2
• vine tree digging pruning 1
• Anthesteria

19
Elaphebolion

• March April
• vine tree digging pruning 2
• grafting 1
• milking milk processing 3
• Greater Dionysia

20
Mounichion

• April May
• grafting 2
• milking milk processing 4
• earthing up trees 1
• watering young trees 1
• Delphinia

21
Thargelion

• May June
• milking milk processing 5
• earthing up trees 2
• watering young trees 2
• harvest grains legumes 1
• Thargelia
• Kallynteria Plynteria

22
Skirophorion

• June July
• watering young trees 3
• harvest grains legumes 2
• fallow ploughing 1
• thresh process grain for storage 1
• milking milk processing 5
• Arrephoria
• Skirophoria