The greek orgies They are renowned in classical culture and in current popular jargon, as a group sexual practice; where the goal is to achieve the ecstasy of pleasure. In the Greek age, in the fifth century BC; citizens of all social classes practiced a ceremony in honor of the Greek God Dionysus; who was regent of wine and fertility.
These ceremonies in his honor were accompanied by dances, songs alluding to sex, hallucinogenic substances and of course wine. The greek orgies Dionysiacs were quite a visual spectacle of disinhibition. In its beginnings only women participated, from members of high society to ladies-in-waiting; called hetairas or what we know today as VIP escorts.
It was in ancient Greece that the term «orggy» was created; it is said that they were the first to enjoy group pleasures. It was in Greece that carnal acts were unbridled and humanity reached a primitive state through animal sacrifices, dancing, and orgasms.
Dionysus the God for whom it all began
Dionysus is a strange and ambiguous god, we know him; Above all, as the inventor of wine, but his purpose is deeper, such as manifesting himself through ecstasy and prophecy. He uses different nomenclatures, such as Bacchus and the Liberator; Also, he is the god of the theater, since he was always associated with masks.
From the Greeks to the Romans – Orgies by another name
The greek orgies they were a kind of liberation from everything earthly, that included liberation from all laws and prejudices; to the point that same-sex sex was completely normal.
The orgies were so popular (although they were held only twice a year), that their popularity extended to the neighboring town of Rome; where by having their own Gods and customs, they would be renamed to Bacchanalia.
Although the Romans and the Greeks had conflicts and wars throughout history, and these were evidenced in countless writings; they certainly shared many of the tastes for worldly pleasures and the Bacchanalia it was the demo.
Bacchus the Roman god of wine
It could be said that the copy of Dionysus from Greek mythology, Bacchus, was the divinity of wine in ancient Rome; and in honor of him a Bacchanalia or what we know as an orgy. The name originates from him and it is to him that the celebration was given as an offering; where there was dancing, sex without measure and consumption of wine until the body couldn't take it anymore.
Bacchus, like Dionysus, was honored at night; although the difference was that in Greece the custom began in the clearings of the forest, in remote places where only women could attend; however, Bacchus was worshiped in the houses.
What did they practice in a Greek orgy and in a bacchanal?
The correct answer would be to say: everything; there were no limits or conditions, not even time or rights of admission; since both celebrations admitted the participation of numerous people, regardless of their origin.
In addition to the preferred wine, a great deal of food was served banquet-style; being all an excess of luxury and ostentation by those who organized it. In these meetings all kinds of unseemly practices were produced among those who participated in the Bacchanalia.
On the other hand, sexual positions of all kinds were practiced, the most consistent being those that favored men, because the time of the creation of the greek orgies; the wealthy man attended even with his slaves and used them to practice anal sex and this was not frowned upon.
Why were bacchanalia banned?
When the rulers felt that they could no longer have control over these celebrations, added to which there began to be suspicions and rumors of conspiracies; in this case against the roman empire, the senate of that time decided to make them illegal.
The Bacchanalia or the Greek orgies, went from being a public event to a clandestine one; since after the prohibition, they could only be carried out with some exceptions and previously approved by the Senate.
It was a consul, named Postumius, the first to denounce bacchanalia; since he investigated the almost forced initiation of a confidant, who told him through information from a lover, everything that was practiced in those places. When the consul coerced a confession from one of the women, a warrant was issued that led to more than 7,000 arrests.
the bacchantes
The Maenads or Bacchantes in Roman mythology, were female disciples of Dionysus. They manifested like crazy for the consumption of wine in the rituals of the god; dressed in deer and panther skins, performing frenetic dances. They were feared, because despite their sensuality they were capable of mutilating any imprudent person who interrupted their dance.
It is thought that the bacchantes were kept secret and clandestinely until the Middle Ages, they have been related to covens (a group of women with mystical powers who met, considered witches).
In addition to being linked to the figure of the Roman God Bacchus, the bacchantes appear in some versions as responsible for the death of Orpheus; whom they would have torn to pieces to avenge the god of wine and fertility, jealous that Orpheus worshiped Apollo and not him.
Conclusion
The greek orgies without a doubt they were a great spectacle before the forces of the Christian religion were established in the old continent. The bacchanalia, its predecessor, was the evolution of this celebration, adding the presence of men and taking place up to five times a month.
The ladies-in-waiting played an important role in bacchanalia, as they were arranged to fulfill the fantasies of men. If you want to continue reading more about sexual practices, you can read in this same blog: Feasts, Orgies, and Lust: Pan and Dionysus in Ancient Greece,.