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ATHENIAN FESTIVAL FOR ATHENE (The great Panathenian procession (This was…
ATHENIAN FESTIVAL FOR ATHENE
This was the most important festival for the Athenians as it celebrated Athenes birthday. Athene was an important God to the Athenians as she was the cities protector.
Panathenaia meant "all Athenian" and the festival was a time for all Athenians to gather and come together as a community and worship Athene.
The festival consisted of Athletic events, sacrifices, choral, poetic and naval competitions
The Greeks didn't have weeks with weekends, only work and festivals so the 8 day long festival was treated as a holiday
The great Panathenian procession
This was the focal event of the whole festival which consisted of the changing of the PEPLOS (2 by 1.5 metres insize, weaving took place months before the festival) on the statue of Athene.
PEPLOS - 2 by 1.5 metres in size. made from brightly coloured wool such as blues and yellows. A group of women called the ERGASTINAI wove the peplos
The procession was to take the Peplos, along with sacrificial animals to the Acropolis.
The ARREPHOROI led the procession, these were four girls who were chosen to serve the Goddess throughout the festival.
After the Arrephoroi, the Ergastinai followed and then the priestess, women who carry amphora, the sacrificial animals, resident foreigners, holy water carriers, musicians and then the peplos.
Rhapsodic and musical contests - 2nd Day
Poetry contests were introduced in the late 6th century
There were four main categories of competition
singers to the Kithara
soloists on the kithara
singers the aulos
soloists on the aulos
Prizes would include a golden crown worth 1,00 drachmas and 500 silver drachmas for first place, second place would receive 1,200 drachmas. There were also prizes for third, fourth and fifth
Sport competitions
Prizes include amphorae filled with olive oil, which were valuable to the greeks
Sports events such as the stadion, pentathlon, combat events and equestrian events (including a chariot race)
Three categories competed separately, boys, beardless youths (young men) and fully grown men, this made the competitions more fair
Boys and youth's athletics took place on the second day, mens athletics on the third and the fourth day was dedicated to equestrian events, this shows how valued equestrian events were. on the fifth daytribal contests took place
6th day procession and the torch race
the night before the procession an all night service in honour of Athene took place called the PANNYCHIS ("all-night") The procession began on sunrise of the next day. It began at the Agora and travelled the Pantheniac way up to the foot of the Acroplois. Upon the arrival the sacrifice for Athena took place.
The torch race is ran before the procession or in the evening before and the fire which is used in the sacrifice is lit by the winner. Each competitor starts at the Dipylon gate and runs to the Acropolis (a total distance of 3 km) whilst holding a lit torch. The first there lights the fire. The winner is awarded 30 drachmas and a water jar.