Religion and Festivals: what was their purpose?

Sparta was a very religion orientated society it was a way of bringing the
community together and uniting the gods with every day social and political
institutions of the Spartan state. There were nine major festivals that Sparta was
concerned with, the three most important were the Karneia, the Gymnopaedia and
the Hyakinthos. ll Spartan citi!ens seemed to have been involved in these religious
festivals, be it women or children. The fact that kings served as chief priests
reinforces this amalgamation of religion and government.
There are "ve main functions of religion in Sparta, they include
#. $%planation of &ature i.e. 'eligion accounts for natural disturbances
and the gods communicate via natural phenomena ( earth)uakes,
volcanic eruptions.
*. To Gain +ene"ts, the Spartans felt that if they did not partake in their
religious duties they felt as though life will diminish and they will not
reap the bene"ts i.e. victory, prosperity and fertility.
,. To void -isasters by divination. They believed in giving gods what
they wanted by ful"lling oracles.
.. /ark the 'ites of 0assage by following an individual1s status change
from a child to a solider then to a full citi!en.
2. To 'einforce Social 3alues and 0romote Social 4ohesion. 5estivals
were used to unite the city state and allow citi!ens to share values in
order to maintain solidity.
The Spartans were renowned for their serious attitude towards religion and their
obedience to the gods. 6ther Greek states mocked them for their strict adherence to
religious rituals and festivals. Historian Herodotus speaks of the +attle at
Thermopylae .78+4 where 9eonidas lead a small army that included only ,88
Spartiates. 6nly at the conclusion of the Karneian festival would the Spartans :march
with all troops at their disposal;. This loyalty towards religious festivals caused some
discrepancies among other Greek states.
Spartan religion had some unusual features, di<erentiating it from the rest of Greece.
Sparta worshipped the spirits of fear and 9aughter. n interesting reason for this
concluded by modern scholars is the personi"cation of fear re=ected their situation of
controlling the Helots.
nother interpretation of this aspect of religion is that Spartans did not want to
dishonour their warrior code. 4owardice was a criminal o<ence and hence this fear
may even have overpowered their fear of the helots.
Spartas system revolved around religion. Kings were the most important priests and
were regarded as descendants of Heracles and therefore of divine ancestry.
0olitical units of Sparta such as the Gerousia and the $phors also had religious
duties to perform as part of their functions.
The $phors also observed the heavens every nine years, on a clear night, to
determine whether or not a king should be deposed.
There were special o>cers as well to deal with oracles from -elphi and state
ministers who kept records of signs from the gods.
Sparta was very interested in oracles.
H.? 0arker states that an oracle was :a formal statement from a god usually
given in an answer to an en)uiry or else the place where such an en)uiry could be
made.;
The most renowned was the oracle of pollo at -elphi. @t played an important role in
the life the ancient world. 9ycurgus was said to have travelled to -elphi to consult the
oracle for the people in the city of Sparta.
0arker claims Spartans took religion very seriously. The gods had to be obeyed
un)uestioningly and :stood at the very top of the chain of command which all
Spartans were taught to respect;.
Sparta was not uni)ue in it1s festivals and their comple%ity however they were taken
very seriously.
There were two important aspects of religion in Sparta, oracles and religious
festivals. There were nine major festivals each year, the three most important were
the Karneia, the Gymnopaedia and the Hyakinthia.
The Karneia, thought to be a harvest festival celebrated for nine days during
the late summer, was an e%tremely important festival for the Spartans. @t was a
celebration of migration, coloni!ation and the cityAfoundation of the -oric peoples
and of various military events.
lthough theories brought forward may lead to some controversy key features
of the festival have been clearly identi"ed
- B men lived in temporary :bowers; made of wood and twigs for B
days, near the temple of pollo. The number of men imitates the
number of men in a platoon this could suggest some military
in=uence within the festival
- The Sacri"cial -eath of a 'am. The sacri"ce of a ram is in
replacement of human life to the gods.
- gon, a musical contest which consisted of the judging of singing and
dancing, the winners were awarded with a pri!e
- nd the :4atch the 'unner; race
The Karneia combined several ancient festivals. group of young men :grape
cluster runners; would chase after a man wearing a garland if they caught him it
meant good luck for the harvest. There are a number of interpretations of the Karneia
festival and none are completely convincing. The "rst that of, historian Hooker
believes that the festival is )uite ancient as Spartans wouldn1t usually be concerned
about crops and harvest. There main focus was on serving and protecting the state,
and yet is contradicted by Sosibius who describes it as a musical festival celebrating
heroic deeds and great events. This again contradicts information sought from
nti)uity two, which describes the celebration as a connection with the return of the
sons of Heracles and the founding of Sparta. -r +rian +rennan1s theory is similar to
that of Hooker as he describes catching a :runner; however he describes the race as
a form divination of revealing the omens for the year. He feels that the Government
could manipulate the truth by persuading the :runner; to be caught and hence
securing good omens for the year and restoring good faith in the Kings.
The Gymnopaedia :the festival of the unarmed boys;
The festival was a commemoration of the battle of Thyrea fought against rgos
228+4 and was held in the marketplace.
The key features of the festival wereC
- the choral performances
- worshipping of pollo and rtemis
- and bo%ing between boys and men :bo%ing dances;
This particular festival lasted for several days during the midsummer season
and involved musical competitions for every age group. The activities of the choruses
were almost an act of endurance themselves, as it became a struggle to survive the
summer sun. $ven though this festival was musical in nature, a dance which was
performed at this festival had somewhat of a military nature which may have been
connected to the Karneia.
@t was seen as the rite of passage for boys on their way to manhood. The
bo%ing dance has been interpreted as an ordeal of initiation. This festival encouraged
what Spartans believed in as it involved the warrior code to initiate the young solider
to a life of physical e%cellence. The festival also initiated the belonging to the
community which helped introduce the idea of serving the Spartan state and working
as a team to protect and con)uer.
/en over thirty who were not married and hence without children were not
permitted to participate. This reinforces the idea of a warrior state were the main
obligation is to produce healthy strong boys to "ght for Sparta.
0ausanias stated that this festival was the :most solemn of all 9akonian
festivals;
The Hyakinthia was a festival named after Hyakinthos, a youth who was lover of the
god pollo and died when pollo accidentally hit him with a discus. The =ower of the
red hyacinth was believed to have sprung from his blood. @n his grief, pollo ordained
an annual festival.
This festival was held at the ancient shrine of myclae Dabout "ve kilometers from
SpartaE. This site was the location of a huge statue of pollo, the tomb of Hyakinthos
and an open area for festival dances. The festival took place over three days in the
DsummerE month of Fuly.
thenaeus, writing in the *nd century .-., has given an account of this festival
which basically revolves around mourning for Hyakinthos and praise of polloG
The festival had T?6 stagesG
#. The "rst stage involved rites of sorrow and mourning in honour of Hyakinthos.
There was a ban on the wearing of wreaths and on joyful songs. 6<erings
were placed at the dead youth1s tomb. The eating of bread and cakes was
forbiddenC there was a special funeral meal, then a day of ritual grief.
*. The second stage involved rejoicing in honour of pollo, the wearing of
wreaths, the singing of joyful songs, sacri"ce to pollo, a festive meal, a
procession to myclae, choral song and dance. The historian Hooker has
interpreted the festival as a festival for the dead on one hand, combined with
a thanksgiving for life on the other.
ll major festivals honoured pollo as a young man. This shows Sparta1s obsession
with youth. Hooker believes that the Hyakinthia festival also covered an aspect of the
relationship with the Hnderworld. Historians "nd it hard to believe Sparta had no
procedure to regulate these relationships. Sparta had to of had its ways of honouring
and pacifying the dead spirits of regular people.
The fallen dead were honoured especially and the bravest of those that died at
Thermopylae were seen as semiAdivine.
Hero cults can be seen throughout 9aconia however other than this historians can
only conjecture possible procedures to regulate relationships with the underworld.
The two major cults are associated with 4astor and 0olydeuces, the two sons of Ieus.
These mythical Spartan twins were particularly important to the Spartans and
commonly known as the -ioscuri. They were associated with young men and their
pursuits of horsemanship, athletics and warfare.
nother prominent cult throughout Sparta was The cult of rtemis 6rthia
rtemis was the goddess of fertility and childbirth, protector of children and women1s
health. She was associated with forests and uncultivated places. She is sometimes
called the Jmistress of the wild thingJ and is shown in art as a woman Dsometimes
with wingsE holding animals. 6rthia was an earlier Spartan goddess about who little is
known. The combining of the two deities became a particular Spartan religious
observance. The sanctuary of rtemis 6rthia stood near the $urotas 'iver outside the
centre of Sparta.
Here there were temples, altars and an area for spectators. +elow is a photograph of
the ruins of the Temple of rtemis 6rthia as it appears today. +eyond, in the distance,
are the Taygetos /ountains.
The cult had the following featuresG /ay K Fune was a time of separation of young
men in the wild and a cheeseAstealing ritual at the altar of rtemis 6rthia. The altar
was defended by older youths with whips. n endurance test took place in front of
family and friends. Songs and dances were followed by a parade of the young men in
"ne clothes after their ordeal. t the site archaeologists have found many small
votive lead "gurines and masks used in the cult.
Herodotus is our main source when investigating the death and burial of a king. He
states that kings received elaborate burial rituals in keeping with their divine origins
and religious signi"cance. @t is evident as scholar, 0arker proclaims that the :Spartans
held their kings as demiAgods, worthy of a heroes funeral.;
?hen a Spartan king died, horseman would inform Sparta of the death throughout
9aconia. ?omen would beat cauldrons and strike their foreheads in grief. The people
would all proclaim that the late King was the best they ever hadL Two free people
from each house are re)uired to put on signs of desecration. 5ailure to comply
resulted in heavy punishment.
6<erings were another aspect of Spartan religion. Sacri"ces were made in order to
obtain divine favour. Spartiate could make sacri"ces and o<erings to the gods in his
own home and could conduct devotions at shrines.
Through archaeological "ndings and written records we can conclude that religion
was very important to the Spartans and was incorporated in everyday life. @t brought
the community together and united the gods with every day social and political
institutions of the Spartan state.
The purpose of Spartan religion was ultimately to gain favour from the gods and
hence strength for protection in times of war, also for a mothers fertility Drtemis
6rthiaE to produce healthy young boys to serve for the Spartan state. Therefore
religion reinforced and coincided with their warrior code.