Sorry for the delay, folks. Technical difficulties intervened, but finally, a bit of a catch-up on the happenings of March and April, not to mention plans for May.
March included the Diasia and Spring Festival, and April the Delphinia and Olympieia/Earth Day. All festivals, of course, include thusia and theoxenia, but here are some of the highlights particular to each.
Diasia
As has become the custom for Diasia at HTAZP, our offerings included stuffed animals for a children's charity and Ktesios Jars.
There are various ways you can make these jars. As you can see, we used a fairly wide range of sizes and shapes, filled with olive oil and individually selected herbs that are sacred to Zeus and/or represent the blessings requested from Him for our homes. They were then decorated with snakes made from polymer clay.
Spring Festival
The Spring Festival was less "Pagan Arts and Crafts"-y, as the offerings made in addition to the usual foods, incenses, and candles were flowers, both store-bought and wild-gathered, to honor Persephone's return and Demeter's rejoicing.
Delphinia
The Delphinia celebrates Apollon Delphinios, Apollo of the Dolphins. Alas, the technical difficulties of retrieving those pictures have not yet been resolved, but what I would be showing you would be pictures of an altar surrounded by various dolphin decorations. Trust me, it was a sight to see.
Olympeia/Earth Day
These are actually two festivals that, because of when they fall, are becoming a joint festival of Zeus and Gaia at HTAZP, which may or may not eventually end up named some variant of Zeus-Gaia Game Day, as has been suggested.
After the main ritual and feast, games followed with From Cave to Sky: A Devotional Anthology in Honor of Zeus as the coveted prize. (Which I won. Yay!)
Coming up in May
On May 6, we will be celebrating Thargelia, and on May 20 there may be a ritual to Ares, as this is near Armed Forces Day.
That's all the news for now. Feel free to comment with your own ideas or experiences related to these or other holidays, or any comments or questions you may have, as we'd love to hear from you!
Peace,
Diane
