Panaia 2013

Khairete!

Today's Festival

Today at the Hellenic Temple of Apollon, Zeus, and Pan, we celebrated the Panaia, Pan's birthday.

We started with a meditation on Pan before processing into the main temple space. All present offered prayers to Pan, both traditional Homeric and modern. Thusia included offerings of pork gyros, wine, and mushroom barley with pine nuts. After theoxenia, those who had questions for Pan were given the opportunity for divination work, and at the closing, participants shared in an acknowledgment of receiving Pan's blessings and offering thanks for them.

Coming Up

Date	Festival
5 Kheimonion/December 8	Dendraia
19 Kheimonion/December 22	Kheimonia
3 Gamelion/5 January 2014	Diogennia
17 Gamelion/19 January 2014	Gamelia/Theogamia
2 Diasion/2 February 2014	Anthesteria (observed)
16 Diasion/16 February 2014	Aphrodisia

Until next time, may the blessings of the Gods be with you,
Diane

Genesia 2013

Khairete!

Today's Festival

Today we celebrated the Genesia at HTAZP. As is mentioned on the main festival description page, there are several ways to determine when it makes the most sense to celebrate this festival. This year, we chose the weekend before Veterans' Day.

As this is a festival of the dead, we held it in the section of the temple set aside for the ancestors and used an inverted table to represent Hekate's crossroads. The arms of the crossroads were decorated with yarn in honor of the dead, including personal ancestors, spiritual ancestors, heroes, fallen soldiers, animals, and other beloved dead.

Food offerings included potato soup, chocolate pizzelles, caramel coffee cake muffins, and fruit, with peppermint tea and honey-whisky for libations.

At the base of the altar, to the left, you can see a black binder that was set aside for written or drawn offerings to the dead as well.

After feasting with the ancestors, we shifted focus briefly and distributed the eirisioni we had made on Puanepsia/Oskhophoria by lots.

Coming Up

Date	Festival
20 Panaion/November 24	Panaia
5 Kheimonion/December 8	Dendraia
19 Kheimonion/December 22	Kheimonia

Until next time, may the blessings of the Gods be with you.
Diane