Skira
Athenian midsummer festival involving a procession to Skiron and women-only agricultural rites
The Meaning of Skira
The Skira — also called Skirophoria — was an Athenian festival held on the twelfth of Skirophorion (June-July) marking the end of the agricultural year. A grand procession led from the Acropolis to a place called Skiron on the road to Eleusis, led by the priestess of Athena, the priest of Poseidon, and the priest of Helios walking under a large white canopy called the skiron. Meanwhile, Athenian women conducted their own rites: they abstained from intercourse, ate garlic to repel men, and sat on the ground on branches of the lygos tree. Sacred ploughing implements were carried in the procession. The festival marked the exhausted earth's need for rest before the autumn sowing cycle began.
Parents
None recorded
Symbols
Fun Fact
Women chewed garlic during the Skira specifically to keep men away from their secret fertility rites
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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💭 conceptReligion
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