In honour of the ancient Eleusinian Celebrations, Hellenic Spirit conducted a harvest ritual, venerating the gods Earth, Demeter, Kore, Apollo, Athena and Dionysos on Saturday October 2, 2010.  The event followed the pattern of a symposium, with ritual and festive meal occurring in the same room.  The delicious meal was a traditional boiled bean stew, following the mythos of Theseus and his companions who, according to Plutarch, had returned to Athens in safety and, to celebrate, they combined their meager provisions of beans in one pot and boiled it all together. The ancients celebrated this as Pyanepsia, which took place shortly after the Eleusinian Mysteries in the fall.  We also marched with an eiresione while one of us sang the ancient words to music he wrote for the occasion.  Other activities including an oschophoria (carrying of the grape clusters) and offerings of grains, olives, olive oil and grapes. As befits a symposium, there were informal discussions of many topics. 

Photos from the Festival are above. Look for more information about the photos on the Embolden Facebook page.