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 Posted: Sat Dec 15, 2007 4:37 pm
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I present to you, my friends and companions, what I'm doing next year. The next step is to start writing rituals or ideas for the day. But that can wait a couple of days. I'd love feedback, and let me know if I missed anyone. These are only planned events, others may pop up as well.
For sanity's sake, I'm starting this off on January 1st
Noumenia celebrates the new month on the Athenian calendar. Good ways to celebrate these are to clean and purify! The day before is a traditional libation to Hekate and the Chthonioi.
My calendar has a bias towards Dionysian feast days. You can guess why. Athens-specific festivals are omitted, cause I don't live there. And why yes, I cited my sources...
January:
1: Spiritual Celebration of Beginnings
9: Noumenia -- Gamelion (month of Marriage)
10 : Haloa, suggested date from Mysteries of Demeter. Celebration of new growth in old and wild fields. Demeter/Dionysos. (pg 134)
12: Libation to Hera (yanked from Hellenion)
20-23: Lenaia, festival to arouse sleeping vegetation and bring springtime (a hopeful guesture in January, don't you think?). Festival of Dionysos, for lenaia either means Wine-press or is another name for maenad.
February
3: Gamelia, Sacred Marriage of Zeus and Hera.
5: Mardi Gras/Propompeia, celebration of satyr/maenads and the nymphs. (From Thiasos Dionysos)
7: Noumenia -- Anthesterion (Month of Flowers)
9: Libation to Aphrodite (Hellenion)
17-19: Anthesteria. Festival in three parts.
17: Pithoigia (Jar Opening). Lots of new wine. Dionysos epiphany, entering his sanctuary. Pleasure for pleasures sake. Offerings to the Chthonic gods.
18: Khoes (Pitchers): More drinking. Merrymaking. The opening of the mortal world to ghosts. A sacred marriage to Dionysos.
19: Khutroi (pots): A day given totally to the spirits of the dead. Sacrifices to Hermes Chthonios of cooked veggies and grains. Do not eat them, and cover your shrines. At the end of the day, purify and uncover the shrines, etc.
29: Diasia, a festival to Zeus Meilikhios (kindly). Burn food offerings whole.
March
1: Chloaia: meaning Verdant (green), festival of the relationship between Demeter and Persephone. (Mysteries of Demeter pg 146)
8: Libation to Hephaistos. (Hellenion)
8: Noumenia -- Elaphebolion (Shooter of Deer)
13: Elaphebolia, Festival of Artemis
15: Asklepieia, Festival of Asklepios
16-20: Greater Dionysos. Dramatic contests, sacrifices, processions of the God to His temple. The Biggest of the Dionysian festivals.
April
6: Noumenia -- Mounikhion
9: Feast of Eros
11: Mounikhia, celebration of Artemis as a moon goddess, mistress of animals
11: Libation to Artemis (Hellenion)
12: Lesser Mysteries, the first step in experiencing the Mysteries of Demeter. (Mysteries of Demeter, pg 201)
13: Meilichia, for Dionysos Meilichois. Gentle, sweet pleasures in life, guarding against unhealthy madness. (Thiasos Dionysos)
24: Olympieia, festival of Olympian Zeus
May
6: Noumenia -- Thargelion
10: Libation to Apollo (Hellenion)
11-12: Thargelion, Birthdays of Artemis and Apollo. First day of purification, second to offerings of first fruits
26: Memorial Day
June
4: Noumenia -- Skiraphorion
7: Kalamia, The gift of grain to Triptolemos. Releasing of negative influences. deciding where resources go (Mysteries of Demeter, 165)
14: Libation to Zeus
15: Skiraphoria, festival of cutting and threshing of grain. Honoring Harvest, Plouton (Demeters son), Descent of Persephone. Entering a Barren part of the year. (Mysteries of Demeter, 174)
17: Dipolieia, Festival of Zeus of the City.
27: Kybersneia, Festival of the Helmsman -- Honors Akoetes, the only man to see Dionysos as a god when He was among the pirates. (Thiasos Dionysos
July:
Bromia: during the first thunderstorm, celebratin Dionysos as god of Noise! (Thiasos Dionysos)
1: Bebakcheumenia, a day given entirely over to Dionysos. No commitments, just madness of the god. (Thiasos Dionysos)
3: Noumenia -- Hekatombaion. Hellenic New Year
6: Aphrodisia, a bathing festival of the goddess. Purification of her temple, her imaged washed.
12: Libation to Athene (Hellenion)
14: Kronia, a festival of Kronos as god of the Harvest
30: Panathenais, celebration of of Athene's birthday. Feast between gods and mortals.
August:
2: Noumenia -- Metageitnion
8: Metageitnia (?) Festival of Neighbors.
9: Libation to Hermes (Hellenion)
19: Ampelia, festival contemplating Dionysos's paradoxical nature. Vibrant life and chthonic gloom. (Thiasos Dionysos)
30: Nyktipolia, Festival of Dionysos Nyktipolos. Go run around all night, do things in darkness.
31: Noumenia: Boidromion (help in response to a shout)
September
1: Niketeria, festival in honor of Nike
5: Kharisteria, Feast of Artemis the huntress
6: Boidromia, feast of Apollo who rescuses people at War (may combine the two)
13: Libation to Demeter and Persephone (Hellenion)
14: Eleusian Mysteries (Mystereis of Demeter, 21 cool
17: Epidauria, commemorates the arrival of Asklepios
30: Noumenia -- Puanepsion (a ritual food. "boiled beans")
October
4: Proerosia: Preparing the fields/goals, study, education, sacred prayer. (Mysteries of Demeter, 80)
7: Mimneskia, Day of Remebrance. Solemn day of remembering Rome's supression of the Bacchanalia in 186 BCE. Ritual lament (Thiasos Dionysos)
8: Stenia, nocturnal female festival preparing for the Thesmophoria. Light-hearted insults, votive offerings (see pg 89)
9: Rites of Arkichronia, day between old and new year. The union between life and death, creativity in barren times. (Mysteries of Demeter, 100. Note, I moved dates around to better accomodate the Athenian calendar)
10-12: Thesmophoria, all female festival in honor of the new agricultural year. A pause for reflection. Mourning for Persephone on the second day, on the third, rejoicing at her arrival. (see pg 112)
28: Khalkeia: Festivals of smiths, associated with Athene and Hephaistos. Rest from work.
29: Noumenia -- Maimakterion (blustering)
November
8: Libation to Ares (Hellenion)
11: Veterans Day
16: Semelia, festival in honor of Semele, the mother of Dionysos. (Thiasos Dionysos)
20: Pompaia: Dedicated to Zeus Meilikhios. Purification
28: Noumenia -- Poseideon
December:
5: Poseidea, festival in honor of Poseidon
13: Libation to Dionysos (Hellenion)
21-?: Rural Dionysos, a simpler form of the Greater Dionysia. Merriment and the like. A good point of connection with the Winter Solstice
28: Noumenia -- Gamelion (month of Marriage)
31: Lysia, The Feast of Freedom, the Great Why-Not?. (Thiasos Dionysos)
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Posted: Sat Dec 15, 2007 5:57 pm
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Posted: Sat Dec 15, 2007 6:11 pm
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Posted: Sat Dec 15, 2007 6:14 pm
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Nuri Dragon_Witch_Woman WOW, thats awesome. *makes mental note to jot those down when I get home* This will give me something to work off of. I really recommend the Mysteries of Demeter book. I need to re-read it since I bought it, but it has some really interesting ideas and even rituals. And as I work on my rituals and ideas for each of these days, I'll write up more on them, plus more about the how's and whys of this calendar.
I'll have to add that to my list of books I need to find and buy, sence my local library does not carry most of them. I'm soooo happy I finally started working, even if it is just twelve hours a week xd |
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Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2007 1:58 am
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Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2007 6:47 am
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Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2007 8:00 am
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Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2007 9:38 am
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Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2007 10:32 am
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Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2007 10:38 am
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Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2007 7:40 pm
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Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 4:33 am
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Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 6:44 am
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Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 8:37 am
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Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 2:40 pm
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Reply
