Today (12 January), Hemera Heliou (Day of Helios  - Sunday), beginning at sundown, will coincide with the thirteenth day of the month of Gamelion
Today is the second day of the festival of Lenaia.
In ancient Attica, from the twelfth through the fifteenth Gamelion, the Lenaea, a festival of Dionysos Lenaios, was celebrated by ecstatic maenads at the Lenaion with a procession, sacrifice, and competitions in tragedy and comedy.
The Lenaia is depicted on numerous vases, which show both typical Maenad scenes and those of aristocrats and wine-mixing rituals. It is unknown exactly what kind of worship occurred at the festival, but it may have been in honour of Dionysos as a youth or the rebirth of Dionysos after his murder by the Cyclopes. It may have also had some connection with the Eleusinian Mysteries, as some of the same religious officials were involved (such as the archon basileus and the epimeletai). These officials led the procession (pompe - πομπή), which probably ended with a sacrifice of some kind.
The thirteenth day of every month is also a holy day, sacred to Athena.
Photograph: detail of an Attic red figure hydria featuring Athena bidding Theseus to abandon Ariadne as Dionysus takes her as his bride.
via Prayers To The Gods of Hellas
#OTD #greek #mythology