Re-Entry.mp3
City Dionysia
The City Dionysia was a huge festival held in ancient Athens. It was believed to first be held in the year 535 B.C. The Festival held dramatic competitions that featured the works of many famous playwrights. They also held a ritual to Dionysus the god of grape harvest and wine making. The City Dionysia was held during the month of Elaphebolion which is the later part of March and the beginning of April.
The Athenians held this festival and invited everyone to come and participate. All ages and genders were allowed to attend the festival. The Athenians took the City Dionysia as an opportunity to show off how magnificent their city was to the Greeks. They had sacrifices to the gods, dithyrambs, tragedies, comedies, and music performances to impress strangers with their wealth and culture.
The opening of the festival had a grand religious procession. They took the statue of Dionysus and carried it through the streets with great show and significance. They held Choral competitions featuring male singers along with instruments. The rest of the Festival held dramatic competitions. These competitions featured tragedies, comedies, and satiric dramas. This was the perfect outlet for playwrights to feature their new and greatest works. The most important performances at the city of dionysia were the tragic performances. They held public competitions to see who the best playwright of the festival was. This competition featured some of the best plays of its time were performed including those of Aeschylus, Euripides, and Sophocles, were performed at the Theatre of Dionysus.
