hellenismo:Πέμπτη Μεσοῦντος/ Πέμπτη ἐπὶ δέκα / Πεντεκαιδεκάτη, XV day From today’s sunset: fifteenth
hellenismo:Πέμπτη Μεσοῦντος/ Πέμπτη ἐπὶ δέκα / Πεντεκαιδεκάτη, XV day From today’s sunset: fifteenth day of Poseideon. The fifteenth of the month is always sacred to Athena. Today is also Full Moon! This is also the most probable day for the beginning of the celebrations of the Rural Dionysia (Τὰ κατ’ἀγρούς) Phallic Procession, sacrifices and agones in the theatres: “Oh, mighty Dionysos, it is with joy that, freed from military duty, I and all mine perform this solemn rite and offer Thee this sacrifice; grant that I may keep the rural Dionysia without hindrance…walk behind the basket-bearer and hold the phallus well erect; I will follow, singing the Phallic hymn; thou, wife, look on from the top of the terrace. Forward!…Oh, Phales, Phales! If You will drink and bemuse Thyself with me, we shall tomorrow consume some good dish in honour of the peace, and I will hang up my buckler over the smoking hearth.” (Aristoph. Ach. 241- 263) “Our traditional festival of the Dionysia was in the past a cheerful and simple procession . First came a jug of wine and a vine branch, then one of the celebrants carried a goat, and another followed with a basket of figs, and the bearer of the phallus came last.” (Plut. De Cupid. Divit. p527D) “The Comic poet (Aristophanes) said that Phales is companion to Dionysus; for sexual pleasures accompany the Dionysiac drink. Phalliones [are] those who campaign in honour of Dionysus to provoke laughter, called thus after the Dionysiac phalluses.” (Suda s.v. Φαλῆς) “Ithyphalloi: [Meaning] the overseers of Dionysos and followers of the phallus, wearing women’s dress. The penis when erect is called a phallus, and poems that are sung with accompanying dances at the upright phallus are called phalluses.” (Suda s.v. Ἰθύφαλλοι) “Phallophoroi: [Meaning] erect-phallus-men, improvisors. Kinds of musicians. And some used to wear a wreath of ivy, but the Ithyphalloi had masks of drunkards and flowered sleeves, and a chiton down to their ankles. But the Phallophoroi used to cover their faces with a papyrus skin, wearing wreaths of ivy and violets.” (Suda s.v. Φαλλοφόροι) (Stamnos with phallic plastic decorations, “phalloi”. Made in Athens, 475 - 425 BC; found in Spina necropolis, Ferrara, Archaeological Museum) -- source link