Anestheria (Spring Equinox) ritual, honoring Dionysos

A black vase depicting, in red, a chubby Eros running and pulling a child's toy cart behind him

Date: March 17, 2024 3:00 pm

Three Cranes Grove invites you to join us for a celebration of Anestheria, the Hellenic celebration of the coming spring, in the Cedar Ridge Lodge at Batelle—Darby Creek Metro Park. This ritual is free, public, and open to all.

The Anthesteria is an ancient festival that traditionally lasted three days, and focused on the coming of spring, the opening of newly-matured wine jars, and the celebration of the ancestors. It was specifically a Dionysian festival, celebrating the marriage of Dionysos and Ariadne.

This rite will be held hybrid — all are welcome to join us in person, but we will also stream over Zoom. We strive to weave all attendees into our magic, no matter how they join us, and we invite all remote participants to pray at their home shrines along with us if they have them, or in the shrine of their heart if they do not, and to join with us in offering.

Schedule

While our ritual activities begin with conviviality at 2:30pm and continue with potluck after the rite, ritual is scheduled for 3:30 sharp (or as close as we can manage).

2:30 — Social hour/gathering
3:00 — Zoom meeting begins
3:15 — Pre-ritual briefing
3:30 — Ritual begins
Potluck to follow ritual

If you can’t make it in-person, we’d love to see you via Zoom.
Meeting ID: 337 362 382
Passcode: 477818

What should I have with me?

If you’re new to all this, check our information for first-time attendees!

But in general, there’s not much you need to have. Zoom attendees are welcome to give offerings at their home shrine, or in the shrine of their hearts. In-person attendees are welcome to bring offerings to give into the fire or well, or to scatter by the tree. If you’ll be joining in person, we also invite you to bring a dish to share at potluck. Not sure what to bring? Anything will be welcome, but hearty main dishes are always especially welcome. Many people have dietary restrictions, so if you’d like to be especially hospitable, it’s great to have a label for your dish, especially if a dish may be appealing to a particular population (vegetarian, gluten-free, etc.).

Location

Batelle Darby Creek Metro Park: Cedar Ridge Lodge
1775 Darby Creek Dr.
Galloway, OH 43119

Batelle Darby Creek Metro Park is on the west side of the Columbus metro area, and is the largest of the Metro Parks, with many different entrances. The Cedar Ridge area is south of the Nature Center area, but north of Alkire Rd., at roughly 1775 Darby Creek Dr.

Take the first right off the park road into the Cedar Ridge Lodge area. The lodge and handicapped parking is down the hill a bit, but a large parking lot can be found by bearing to the right. (See park map for details.)


Header image: Crop of Red-Figure Chous with Eros. Athens, Greece, ca. 450 BC. Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. Via Wikimedia Commons; public domain.

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