Apaturia

 

(ăpəchʊ'rēə, –tyʊ'rēə) , in Greek religion, annual festival celebrated by the Ionians and the Athenians. It was held in October or November, in the season when various phratries (clans) met to induct new members, register children born since the previous festival, and pay homage to the gods.

For the orchid genus, see its synonym Pachystoma.

Apaturia (Απατουρια) were Ancient Greek festivals held annually by all the Ionian towns except Ephesus and Colophon (Herodotus i. 147). At Athens it took place from October to November, and lasted three days, on which occasion the various phratries, or clans, of Attica met to discuss their affairs. The name is a slightly modified form of απατορια = ἁμαπατορια, ὁμοπατορια, the festival of "common relationship." The ancient etymology associated it with απατη (deceit), a legend existing that the festival originated in 1100 B.C. as a commemoration of a single combat between a certain Melan, representing King Thymoetes of Attica, and King Xanthus Boeotia, in which Melanthus successfully threw his adversary off his guard by crying that a man in a black goat's skin (identified with Dionysus) was helping him (Schol. Aristophanes, Acharnians, 146). On the first day of the festival, called Dorpia or Dorpeia, banquets were held towards evening at the meeting-place of the phratries or in the private houses of members. On the second, Anarrhysis (from αναρρυειν, to draw back the victim's head), a sacrifice of oxen was offered at the public cost to Zeus Phratrius and Athena. On the third day, Kureōtis (κουρεωτις), children born since the last festival were presented by their fathers or guardians to the assembled phratores, and, after an oath had been taken as to their legitimacy and the sacrifice of a goat or a sheep, their names were inscribed in the register. The name κουρεωτις is derived either from κουρος, that is, the day of the young, or less probably from κειρω, because on this occasion young people cut their hair and offered it to the gods. The victim was called μειον. On this day also it was the custom for boys still at school to declaim pieces of poetry, and to receive prizes (Plato, Timaeus, 21 B). According to Hesychius these three days of the festival were followed by a fourth, called επιβδα, but this is merely a general term for the day after any festival.

References

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.

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