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Glite Dictionary
Dionysia

Dionysia

1 9.9
A religious festival in ancient Greece with plays, parades, and loud celebrations
  • noun
  • /ˌdaɪəˈnɪziə/
  • NSFW
translation icon : Dionisia
  • During the Dionysia, participants would engage in joyous parades and theatrical performances that celebrated the legacy of Dionysus.

Examples

  • The city of Athens held the Dionysia, a vibrant festival filled with drama, music, and ecstatic celebrations in honor of the god Dionysus.

  • The ancient Greeks welcomed the arrival of spring with the Dionysia, an orgiastic festival known for its lively processions and dramatic presentations.

  • The Athenians also gathered in the theater to watch choirs of boys; for example, the City Dionysia included ten dithyrambic performances by boys.

    Academic text (2014)

Synonyms

orgy
vsDionysia
  • NSFW
3 9.3

A secret ancient religious ceremony with singing, dancing, and sex

is a public ceremonial festival with drama and processions not a secret rite
Bacchanalia
vsDionysia
  • Literature
1 9.9

An ancient festival of wild dancing and drinking to honor Bacchus

is a more organized public festival with drama and processions rather than chaotic revelry

Surface Forms

Dionysia singular
Dionysias plural

Etymology

Dionysia comes from the Greek god Dionysus, who was the 'god of wine and theatre', so the name means a celebration for him. These events were public festivals with loud music, processions and dramatic plays, which is why the word now refers to those lively theatrical celebrations.