Ancient Greek Ritual of Anthesteria

Anthesterion is a month in the Athenian calendar, and was one of four festivals held in honor of Dionysus. Today, modern polytheists usually say it starts with the February new moon and ends around the March new moon when the Falliforia parade, also honoring Dionysus takes place (stay tuned as I’m attending that too next week!) Anthesteria was a 3 day festival, each day was its own feast with its own name. This video is from the celebration by Labrys, an inclusive Hellenic polytheist group. I was invited to attend and it was so uplifting, positive, inspiring, and POWERFUL to be in the temple grounds to celebrate this important day. It might sound unusual to western polytheists, pagans, witches, and spiritual practitioners to celebrate the dead in this time of new life, but that was exactly the connection the ancients saw. Because so much life was coming into being at this time as spring is in full swing hearing Greece and the wildflowers and agricultural sprouts are flourishing, it was b