Oschophoria
Athenian vintage festival featuring a procession of youths bearing grape clusters
The Meaning of Oschophoria
The Oschophoria was an Athenian festival held in Pyanepsion (October) celebrating the grape harvest and honouring Dionysus and Athena. Its name derives from oschoi — grape clusters still on the vine branch — which were carried in a procession from the sanctuary of Dionysus to the temple of Athena Skiras at Phaleron. The procession was led by two noble youths dressed in women's clothing, commemorating the tale that Theseus disguised two of his male companions as girls among the youths sent to Crete. At the destination, a ritual supper featured characteristic cries of both joy and sorrow, echoing the mixed emotions of Theseus's return: triumph over the Minotaur shadowed by his father Aegeus's suicide.
Parents
None recorded
Symbols
Fun Fact
Two boys led the procession dressed as women, commemorating Theseus's trick to deceive the Minotaur
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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