Our first festival of the secular year was today, the Diogennia, Zeus' birthday.
We began with a meditation on Zeus' birthday via the Cretan myth before processing into the main Temple space.
Offerings for the feast included chicken a la king, ninja-bread cookies (that will make sense in a minute), honey-glazed donuts, honey sticks, and a gingerbread cake.
Ginger is sacred to Zeus and part of the myth is of Zeus being kept protected in a cave on the island of Crete, which was brilliantly lit. So when our Hiereus found cookie cutters shaped like ninja warriors (seriously named "ninja-bread cookie cutters"), he decided they would help to decorate the birthday cake. (Admittedly, Ninja warriors were native to a different island.) Above they are shown guarding Zeus in lightning and/or snake form (also apparently called slightning).
We referenced Hearthstone's book, In Praise of Olympus, for various prayers during the ritual and also specifically invoked Zeus' following epithets:
Basilios - king
Megalos - great
Ktesios - house jar (of the home)
Oikos - of the house
Herkaios - of the boundaries
We also made Ktesios Jars, something we have often done for Diasia but which Hiereus Timotheos decided to incorporate today as this specific epithet of Zeus and means of honoring Him is the most universal.
Some things the jars have in common are oak moss, oak leaves, and olive oil, plus a number of other herbs and items depending upon what each person wished to either attract to or repel from their home, and then olive oil. The purple and red yarn represents colors of royalty.
Do you have any particular practices or recipes that you do for the Diogennia? Please answer in comments!
Our next festivals will be Hephaestia on January 11 and Gamelia/Theogamia on January 25.
Blessings of the Gods,
Diane
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