Modern "Christian" Customs Linked to the Dionysian Religion and Ancient Greece

Modern "Christian" Customs Linked to the Dionysian Religion and Ancient Greece

By: Evangelos Dim. Kepenes (February 21, 2026, 12:20)

Despite the relentless persecutions of Hellenism and the centuries-long institutional slaughter of non-believers by the new Roman syncretic religion of 'Helleno-Christianity' or 'Helleno-Orthodoxy', Dionysian and other pagan festivals and customs (notwithstanding official condemnations by the Canons of the Ecumenical Councils against masks and Bacchic dances) have survived. They continue to be observed in the same locations and on the same dates, through phallic and wine festivals, the feasts of various saints, the veneration of relics, Carnival celebrations, and the religious idolatrous 'Christian' calendar."

The latter mimics the ancient idolatrous calendar and the elitist Orphic ideology of "enlightening" the unlearned through poetry, theatrical performances, and fiestas that appeal solely to the audience's emotion and pleasure. This process masks the spiritual poverty of the participants while boosting the economic development of the hosting locations.

While the perspective of "institutional slaughter" focuses on violent imposition, there is also the perspective of “cultural resilience”. Ordinary people, refusing to abandon centuries-old traditions, "clothed" them in a Christian mantle to preserve them. Thus, "Helleno-Christianity" can be seen not only as an imposition but also as an unconscious historical compromise, where the ancient spirit found a way to survive within a new dogmatic framework, forming a type of "Christianized polytheism."

Let us examine some customs:

Apokria (Grk=Carnival)

It means abstinence from meat (apo-kreo). Some suggest the word Carnival is a synonym, deriving from the Latin carnem levare (removal of meat). In essence, however, the word stems from the roots "Carna = Flesh" and the word "Baal," an ancient god to whom flesh sacrifices and idolatrous orgiastic rituals were dedicated in pre-Christian times. The roots of these events are found in ancient Greece, featuring a wide range of ancient Dionysian customs such as the "Anthesteria" and "Clean Monday." The inspiration for the carnival was the Dionysian processions heading toward the sites of the Dionysian Mysteries. The most famous in Greece is the Patras Carnival.

Wine and Ecstasy

The use of wine in festivals and the state of the "common table" strongly recall ancient sacrifices and symposia.

The Anastenaria

Celebrated annually on May 21st in Northern Greece, this custom involves animal sacrifice and fire-walking (pyrobacy) without participants getting burned. In a trance-like state with dilated pupils, they hold icons of Constantine and Helen or the Gospel. Euripides mentions the Maenads, whose hair would catch fire during ecstatic dances without burning them (Bacchae 757). Author George Stamkos notes: "The origin of this strange custom is pagan... it is a conglomerate of ancient Thracian, Greek, Dionysian, Orphic, heretical (Paulician and Bogomil), and Christian elements. Pyrobacy is an ancient ritual of purification and healing, closely linked to the mysteries of divine (Promethean) fire."

The Twelve Days of Christmas (Dec 25 – Jan 5)

Ancient customs revive in various places: Babougera in Serres (resembling the phallophoric "Silenus"), Arapides, Momogeroi, Kamila, Tsaros, Sygia, Tseta, Gourounochara—all customs with a Dionysian background.

Bourani: The Feast of the Phallus

Held in Tyrnavos. Apart from the "phallophoria"—a ritual procession in honor of Dionysus where the phallus was carried as a symbol of nature's productive power—participants light fires to prepare Bourani in a large pot (chytra), a spinach and vinegar soup. This is a variation of the Anthesteria festival "Chytroi."

The Traditional Wedding

It has roots in the Dionysian festival of Anthesteria, where a symbolic Sacred Marriage with Dionysus took place. Young women took vows of purity and, accompanied by 14 venerable women (Gerarai), went to the Lenaion (the sanctuary of Dionysus Lenaeus) for the "Union with Dionysus" (Dionysou gamos). The purpose was the annual renewal of the spirit of fertility.

The Christmas Fir Tree

Dionysus, as a god of vegetation, held titles such as Dendreus or Dendrites (the divine power residing in the tree). One of his sacred plants was the fir. In 6th and 5th-century coins and vases, a fir tree or branch is depicted as a Dionysian staff held by Centaurs and Satyrs. Notably, a fixed dogmatic position of Helleno-Christianity is the "restoration/deification of nature."

Easter Candles (Lambades)

Bacchus held the epithet Lampter ("the one who shines/illuminates"). In Pellene, Achaia, the Lampteria were celebrated in his honor, with torches brought to his sanctuary at night—reminiscent of Easter candles.

Kollyva (Boiled Wheat)

The final day of the Anthesteria was dedicated to the dead and the spirits (Keres). The name Chytroi came from the pots where they boiled panspermia (seeds of various fruits), offered to Chthonic Hermes on behalf of the dead. A similar practice exists today with Kollyva distributed on All Souls' Saturday (Psychosabbato). At the end of the ancient ritual, the souls were sent back to Hades with the phrase: "Begone, souls of the dead, the Anthesteria are over."

Memorial Services (Mnemosyna)

This is an ancient custom. Ancient Greeks believed that prayers and sacrifices could achieve divine forgiveness for the sins of the dead (Iliad I 497). There were even itinerant priests who claimed the power to forgive the sins of "the living and the dead" through rituals (Plato, Republic B 364). Memorials were held on the 3rd, 9th, and 30th day (the triakas) after death, as well as on the one-year anniversary.

Eviva (Cheers)

Even the word "Eviva" is not Latin. It originates from the ancient Greek contraction of the Bacchic-Dionysian exclamation "Euoi-Euan" (Evoe). For the ancients, it was equivalent to "be healthy" or "rejoice."

Note: The Italian historian Polydore Vergil (15th–16th c.) noted that dances, masks, and other Christmas disturbances common among Christians originated from the Roman Saturnalia and Bacchanalia, suggesting that "all pious Christians should eternally loathe such customs."

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