— SACRED TIME —

Thesmophoria

approximate window: October 10 – October 20 · Hellenism (Greece) · Paganism of antiquity

Historical window

Esoteric and historical meaning

Festival reserved for married women in honor of Demeter Thesmophoros (Law-Giver): the remains of piglets thrown into the megara are retrieved and mixed with the seed. Fertility and law from decomposition.

Operative mechanics — ritual acts

·Fasting while sitting on the ground on the middle day (Nesteia)
·Retrieval of remains from sacred pits
·Ritual insults (aischrologia) as release and power

Traditional foods

·Pomegranates avoided
·Wheat cakes
·Fasting on the second day

Offerings

·Piglets, pine cones, snake-shaped cakes

Taboos to respect

·No men allowed
·Do not eat pomegranate seeds fallen on the ground

Associated symbols

Piglet · Torch · Snake