Carneia
Spartan festival honouring Apollo Karneios with music contests and military rites
The Meaning of Carneia
The Carneia was the most important Dorian festival, celebrated especially at Sparta during the month of Karneios (roughly August). It honoured Apollo Karneios — Apollo of the ram — and combined military exercises with musical contests and ritual pursuits. Young men called staphylodromoi (grape-runners) chased a man hung with woollen fillets; if caught, it was a good omen for the city. The festival lasted nine days during which Spartans lived in temporary shelters mimicking a military camp. The Carneia's religious gravity was so absolute that it famously delayed the Spartan army's march to Marathon in 490 BCE, arriving only after the battle was won.
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Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
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Gymnopaedia
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