#bacchae

HISTORY

Two main events were pillars to the City Dionysia, which usually split the festival days in half. These were the procession and dramatic competitions.

During the first day of City Dionysia, a grand procession (known as pompe) was held entering the city and marching to the Theatre of Dionysus in which phalloi were carried atop of poles alongside a wooden statue of Dionysos Eleuthereus. Other important offerings were also carried during this procession like baskets, long-loaf bread, jars of water, goatskin bags of wine, and many more offerings. These were later followed a day after by dithyrambic competitions. Music and poetry was also played out in the following days by flute players or celebrity poets. To end the first half, bulls were sacrificed and a feast was held. A second procession then occurred (known as the komos).

In the second half of the City Dionysia, theatre and plays were held, Selected playwrights would announce the titles of their plays, days ahead, and present a tetralogy of three Greek tragedies followed by a satyr play (much more lighthearted) to end the competition on a good note. These plays were performed live in front of an audience who judged them, five days of the festival were set aside just for this. Though less important in the City Dionysia compared to the Lenaia, comedic competitions were also held. On the last day of the festival, the winners were announced and the prize of a goat was given.

ORIGINS 🍆

According to myth, the festival was established after the bordering town of Eleutherae brought a cult statue of Dionysus to Athens. Athenians initially rejected this and so as punishment, a plague was brought about by Dionysus affecting male Athenians and their genitalia. A cure was found with the acceptance of the cult of Dionysus. As payment, Athenians must offer due honors to the god and hold a procession carrying a phallus in recognition of their failings.

RITUAL ACTS

• Take a walk at a local park or botanical garden (you can pretend like it's a procession!)

• Wine-drinking or drinking of any kind of fruity beverage

• Pouring libations for Lord Dionysus (wine, honeyed water, fruity beverages)

• Creating phallic symbols (by modeling clay, drawing, paper mache, or simply doodling)

• Mixing sweet wine (3 parts water to 2 parts wine)

• Watch a musical

• Read Greek tragedies or watch adaptations of Greek tragedies (here is a link to My Library with Greek tragedies and an adaptation of The Bacchae)

• Compare translations of Greek tragedies (Carson, Arrowsmith, or Wilson for e.g.)

• Write a play, a greek tragedy, or a dithyramb yourself

• Play the flute or any musical instrument

• Offer long-loafs, wine, and baskets

• Recite the Orphic or Homeric Hymns dedicated to Dionysus

(Orphic Hymns: #30, #45, #50)

(Homeric Hymns: #1, #7, #26)

Hair in the Bacchae is like a really minor thing but I was plagued by this vision the whole afternoon!! I need to banish these scenes from my head and work on my actual research subjects or I’ll go insane fr

Early on in the play Penthus roughly grabs Dionysus’ hair and cuts it, and later he is given a long wig and has a loose lock of hair gently fixed by Dionysus when he dresses up as a maenad. Isn’t that something? Violence juxtaposed against tenderness and how Pentheus slowly forgets his self clothed like a follower of the very god he opposes. I coloured the ends of the wig purple because making the wig from the hair Pentheus cut is hilarious and probably something Dionysus would do ngl