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TIMING:

12 Skirophorion, 14 May 2000

THEME:

Demeter, Persephone, Athena, Poseideon, Dionysos, Apollo, starting of long range plans, fertility

HISTORY / LORE:

This festival has three main activities and it is not clear how they relate or if they do. The first is a foot race between two ten-man teams. It is a relay race where vine branches are passed from man to man. The prize is a drink called pentaploa (fivefold) that consists of wine, honey, cheese, barley and olive oil. This is used for libation to Dionysos celebrating the new vintage.

The second activity is a three mile procession. The priestess of Athena and the priests of Poseideon and Apollo walk under a canopy held up by four poles. This canopy is called a skiron and probably gets it's name from the festival (rather than the other way around). People in the procession carry objects made of gypsum and white flour (called skira). The festival is the Skirophoria or the carrying of the skira.

The third activity is a women's only festival that symbolically reenacts the abduction of Persephone. While Persephone and several maiden goddesses were picking flowers, Pluto (a.k.a. Hades) opened up a chasm and took Persephone away in his chariot. The swineherd Eubouleus and his pigs fell into this chasm to their death. The Skirophoria is a fertility festival where pigs are thrown into a chasm and many acts of "wantonness" goes on. Since this is a fertility festival for women only, the women eat garlic to discourage men from having sex with them. Four months later at the Thesmophoria, the rotten remains of the pigs are dragged out of the chasm and used as fertilizer on the crops.

DECORATING IDEAS:

lots of white cloth with vines and flowers.

GARMENTS:

Ancient athletics were performed in the nude and, at fertility festivals, there is a lot of nudity. If this is not practical or desired, garments should all be white (watch out for grass stains).

RITUAL CUP:

since pentaploa doesn't sound very tasty, I would recommend libations of the individual ingredients (wine, honey mead, etc.) or any drink made of five naturally occurring ingredients (several blended health drinks fit this description)

RITUAL FOODS:

main dish of pork

ACTIVITIES:

The only thing I could think of that even comes close to tying all this together is the starting of long range projects, so I would suggest, along with the "wantonness", races, procession and pork feasts, there should be the starting and blessing of long term projects.

SOURCES: