Mar 31, 2021
On the Festival of Boreasmi (Boreasmus)
Boreasmi (Boreasmus): Date Unknown
A festival held in honor of Boreas, celebrated by feasting, and in some demes, with an annual sacrifice. It is possible that it was introduced in Athens after the defeat of Xerxes’ fleet in the Persian war, which was destroyed by a north wind after prayer to Boreas. Boreas was affectionately referred to as brother-in-law by those in Athens due to the story of how he carried off and married the woman Orithyia, daughter of King Erechtheus of Ancient Athens. Little else is known of this festival.
Works cited:
Herodotus (vii. 189)
A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquites, William Smith
