Document that gives overview of the Lenaia festival that was held in Athens. Good fro use of an example in essay questions when referencing significant festivals in the ancient world.
Who was the festival for?
the Lenaia was a festival held to honour Dionysus Lênaios as well as the
Maenads.
what did the festival consist of?
It was a three day festival were a procession would happen and a
ststue or some representation of Dionysus would be carried, there
would be dancing by young girls with castanets as well as dramatic Scene on pottery representing a
competitions. Lenaia celebration.
The procession that would take place would be led by the Archon Basileus and the
epimeletai and would end with a sacrifice.
The festival also consisted of a series of plays being performed in competition.
In the beginning of the 5th century plays were performed to an audience that was often small
and only tot the locals of that area.
During the early years the festival held dramatic competitions only for comedy but from 432
BC a tragic competition was introduced.
Five comedies would compete in the festival (however only three did during the
Peloponnesus War) and when tragedies were then added there would be two tragedians
who completed and would perform two plays each.
Many of the plays performed at the Lenaia were by Aristophanes and were first performed
here as shush the play ‘Knights’.
Metics (a foreign resident of Athens who’d did not have citizen rights) could participate and
as choregoi (was a citizens who financed the chorus or other areas of the dramatic
production that was not covered by the government.
In Athens, the festival was originally held in the Lenaion (maybe in a theatre outside the city
or in a section of the Agora) but by the mid-fifth century had moved to the theatre of
Dionysus.
Where was the festival held?
The festival was held in Athens and Ionia and was often localised. There is also some evidence for
the festival having been held in Delphi as well.
when was the festival?
The festival was held in January as it was a dramatic winter festival
Why was the festival held?
The festival celebrated Dionysus’ release from Zeus’ thigh and his emergence from the Underworld.
According to mythology Dionysus was conceived in late February and grew in his mother’s, Semele,
womb for 7 months until Zeus killed her. Zeus rescued Dionysus and sewed him into his thigh until
he was ready to be born. This took place at the time of the grape harvest and some wine was buried
in jugs which fermented as Dionysus grew in Zeus’ leg. In January Dionysus was born and the wine
had been brought out of the earth. January is also the time in which Dionysus emerged from the
Underworld and therefore the Lenaia celebrates Dionysus’ ascension form the Underwood and his
birth. The festival was named “lenaial and comes from the word “Lenos” meaning wine press of
from the word “lenai” which was another name for the Maenads (the female worshippers of
Dionysus)
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