hellenicappalachia:

@lavenderlipstickandshit asked: So I was wondering with Halloween coming up and all what holidays would Hellenic Polytheists observe around this time of year and how would they do so? I got super strong feelings from Zeus that if I want to study Hellenic Polytheism I should go all in while I’m doing it so I can get a better grasp of things with a hands on approach. Is it okay if I celebrate the holidays?

i’m gonna answer this here, so as not to clog up my non-HP followers’ dashes!

well, for me, and again my calendar is ambitious (because i need Goals), not a commitment, this is the possible lineup:

october

• 1st—Epidaura day
• 2nd—6 PM Greater Eleusinian Mysteries continue
• 3rd—Greater Eleusinian Mysteries; archery deer & turkey season starts—offering to Artemis
• 4th—Greater Eleusinian Mysteries
• 5th—Greater Eleusinian Mysteries (end at sundown)
• 8th—National Poetry Day—offerings to Apollon and the Mousai
• 11th—Nymphs, Gaia, and Athena trad offering day
• 12th—6 PM Deipnon begins
• 13th—Deipnon day; 6 PM Noumenia begins
• 14th—Noumenia Pyanepsion day; 6 PM Agathos Daimon begins
• 15th—Agathos Daimon day
• 17th—Athena trad offering day
• 19th—Du Pré death date; traditional Proerosia date—make offering to Demeter; 6 PM Pyanepsia begins; Artemis trad offering day
• 20th—Pyanepsia day (celebrate Pyanepsia); Oskhophoria—add offerings to Dionysos and Athena Skira to Pyanepsia offerings
• 21st—Thesia—offering to Theseus and Poseidon; 6 PM Stenia begins; very very late at night Orionid meteor shower—offerings to Orion and Asteria
• 22nd—Stenia—offering to Demeter and Persephone
• 23rd—6 PM Thesmophoria begins; Apaturia begins
• 24th—Thesmophoria; (hopefully) offering to the River; Apaturia
• 25th—Thesmophoria; Apaturia
• 26th—Thesmophoria ends at sundown; Apaturia ends at sundown
• 27th—trad offering day to Heroines

november

• 6th/7th—Persephone’s Descent offerings—Haides, Persephone, Demeter, local dead
• 11th—6 PM Deipnon begins; Khalkeia begins
• 12th—Deipnon day; 6 PM Noumenia begins; Khalkeia day (celebrate Khalkeia)
• 13th—Noumenia Maimakterion day; 6 PM Agathos Daimon begins
• 14th—Agathos Daimon day; offerings to local nymphs
• 15th—Athena trad offering day
• 17th—late night Leonid meteor shower—offerings to Asteria and Hekate
• 18th—Artemis trad offering day
• 22nd—Pompaia—offerings to Zeus and Hermes
• 26th—Thanksgiving—offerings to Hestia
• 27th—Black Friday—offering to Hermes

these are the recon and revivalist holidays that one could celebrate during this time. many of them have been added by me (the ones in bold, for example) but it’s a look at the holidays that are around. I can post the December ones too, if you want.

this link to Hellenion’s Temenos site will have explanations of the recon ones, such as Stenia, Thesmophoria, etc.

a very popular festival to celebrate is Heliogenna (2 day link | 9 day link), which is a revivalist holiday intended to give hellenic polytheists a holiday-season analogue festival. some hellenic polytheists, i presume, celebrate Samhain, although i Do Not. Also plenty of us celebrate Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other holidays–they’ve developed enough secular tradition that it’s very easy to participate in American (idk if you’re American, though) holidays in a non-religious way.

I would say it’s certainly okay to celebrate the holidays, as long as you’re being respectful. My personal advice is to start out from a recon perspective, to be sure you’re doing things respectfully, but many people don’t and that’s usually fine. I actually got into HP with a festival (pyanepsia was my first) rather than introducing myself to a deity, since there’s kind of always been a deity presence for me. I agree with Zeus (:p) that a hands-on approach is, from my mortal perspective, a great way to learn–I think that’s how most people do it, and ritual doesn’t come naturally until you do it a few times.

I’d suggest looking up and considering some of the festivals on that list, on the Hellenion site, and seeing what seems possible or appeals to you. I can provide examples of super-recon rituals and of revivalist rituals, if you need some, but dive in and see what your calendar might look like!