The Hellenic Temple of Apollon, Zeus, and Pan

Qeogamia

Festival of Zeus' Marriage and Partnerships

The festival of Theogamia was celebrated in ancient Athens as the wedding anniversary of Zeus and Hera. Their marriage symbolizes Her importance in the Greek pantheon as the Queen of the Gods. HTAZP also recognizes the partnerships/relationships with other Gods, Goddesses and mortals. As such the modern HTAZP festival will occur over three days and include offerings to Dione, Zeus' companion at Dodona and Ganymede, His male lover and cup-bearer. Zeus has many other companions in the Greek Pantheon, and thus on the last day of the festival offerings will be made to all of His female companions and male companions respectively.

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Day 1: Festival of Zeus and Dione

In Dodona, Zeus' companion was Dione. We know little about what Her role is aside of this relationship. We do know however that She had priestesses who were, like the priests of Zeus, manteioi, or interpreters of Zeus' sacred oracle (and it is possible too that Dione was also in control of an oracle, although this is mostly speculation and UPG on my part).

Preparations: The altar is adorned with an image of Zeus and possibly an image of Dione if one can be found. If this is not possible, the offerings from the ritual may be left at Zeus' shrine. Offerings for the ritual include tea-lights, incense (amber incense works particularly well for Zeus), and a libation of tea made from flowers and fruit (for instance: chamomile, hibiscus, rose hips, and raspberry).

Ritual: NOTE: Because this is not a typical thusia, it is not necessary to use the entire structure of that ritual.

Procession: The worshiper(s) gather at the hearth-fire of the house and process to the sacred space.
Purification: The worshiper(s) wash his/her/their hands and sprinkle the offerings with khernips (pure water).
Opening Prayer: Each person takes a handful of barley and the priest or worshiper speaks the following or similar prayer:

Holy Zeus and Dione,
God and Goddess of Dodona:
I/We come before You to honor
Your partnership as guardians of
Dodona's Sacred Oracle.
I/We ask that You bless us
With visions and advice over
Events that have or will come to past,
And that You accept and delight in our offerings.

Once the prayer has been spoken, the barley is cast upon the altar.

Giving the Offerings: The incense and tea-lights are lit, and a libation is poured. Each person is given a cup of the tea.
After the offerings are shared, the priest or participant(s) may consult an Oracle asking that Zeus and Dione speak through the cards/dice/etc.

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Day 2: Gamelia: The Marriage of Zeus and Hera

Zeus' marriage with Hera symbolizes Her importance as the Queen of Olympos. In ancient Greek marriages in Athens, both the bride and groom were washed in spring water and a banquet was held for the couple in their respective houses. The bride was then taken in a procession to the groom's house and brought to the main Hearth, where her mother-in-law officially accepted her as a new member of the household. Blessings were asked of Hymen, the God of Marriage, and of the House Gods. After this ceremony, the a wedding hymn is sung and bride and groom are pelted with nuts and dried fruits as they process to the bedroom, where they consummate their marriage. Because this particular ceremony celebrates Zeus and Hera's wedding anniversary, this particular set of customs will be modified (as it would need to be anyway to a degree for modern couples).

Preparations: The altar is set with an image of Zeus and Hera. Upon the altar are also the implements of thusia and a white ribbon or yarn. The color of the altar cloth can be white, purple, gold and/or red. These are the Greek colors of purity and royalty. The offerings for this particular festival are food for the thusia (it has been a non-official custom to have chicken but this is not necessarily a requirement), tea-lights, the same tea as offered on the previous day. Also a pair of wedding rings are a good offering.

Thusia:

Procession: The worshiper(s) gather at the hearth-fire of the house and process to the sacred space and position themselves around the altar in a circle.
Purification: The worshiper(s) wash his/her/their hands and sprinkle the offerings with khernips (pure water).
Opening Prayer: Each person takes a handful of barley and the priest or worshiper speaks the following or similar prayer:

Holy Zeus and Hera,
Today I/We have come to honor You
As the King and Queen of the Gods.
I/We present to You this sacrifice and these offerings.
May they please You and bring to You great joy.
Holy Ones, may You be present today with me/us
As I/we celebrate Your union!

Once the prayer has been spoken, the barley is cast upon the altar.

Giving the Offerings: A portion of each food dish is placed in the offering plate for Zeus and Hera. The incense and tea-lights are lit, and a libation is poured. Each person is given a cup of the tea and a portion of the meal. Everyone eats.

Hieros Gamos (Sacred Marriage):

Purification: The statues of both Gods are purified by washing them in khernips. If this is not possible due to the make of the statues, a smudge stick can be lit and the statues can be wafted through the purifying smoke.
Dedication: The priest or worshiper takes the ribbon and rings in hand and the following or similar dedication is made:

Zeus and Hera, with this Ribbon
I tie together your statues to symbolize Your union.
Your marriage shows Your roles as King and Queen of the Gods
And it is through this ceremony that I/we recognize this.
May You always be happy together, and bestow Your blessings
On those who have taken vows to each other.
May You grant happiness to marriages of all types,
And to grant advice and assistance to those in need.

The ribbon is tied around the statues and the wedding rings are consecrated in the incense smoke. The worshiper(s) toss barley onto the statues and a hymn can be sung or played on a cd/tape player. The worshiper(s) then processes out of the room so that Zeus and Hera can be given “personal time” while the worshiper(s) celebrate by watching movies, playing games, etc.

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Day Three: Offerings to Zeus and Ganymede

As the story goes, Ganymede was a beautiful Trojan prince who caught the eye of Zeus. Zeus sent His eagle down to bring Ganymede to Olympos to be His “cup-bearer.” The relationship between Zeus and Ganymede reflects a custom which took place in Greece where an older man would become a guardian of a younger man (which had sexual overtones as well as teaching). It is not my wish to reinstate this custom, as I feel that the relationship between Zeus and Ganymede is another reflection that Zeus is not bound to being one thing, or even having a companionship with one other God or mortal. This aspect is true with most of the Gods (Greek and non-Greek) but it is especially true for Zeus. His relationship with Dione also reflects this. Zeus is not just lovers with one entity, but many. He is both heterosexual and homosexual, He is both male and female.

Preparations: The altar is adorned with an image of Zeus as an eagle, as well as an image of Ganymede if one can be found. Like the festival of Dione and Zeus, this ritual can be held at Zeus' shrine if needed. Offerings include tea-lights, incense (again amber incense works particularly well. Also incense can be made of rose-petals and sage), and tea (this can be the same tea s offered on the other days or it can be one with a stronger taste).

The Ritual:

Procession: The worshiper(s) gather at the hearth-fire of the house and process to the sacred space.

Purification: The worshiper(s) wash his/her/their hands and sprinkle the offerings with khernips (pure water).
Opening Prayer: Each person takes a handful of barley and the priest or worshiper speaks the following or similar prayer:

Holy Zeus and Ganymede,
I/we have come before You
to honor You as lovers.
I/we bring You offerings of incense,
and libations of tea.
May these offerings please You both,
and bring You great joy.

Once the prayer has been spoken, the barley is cast upon the altar.

Giving the Offerings: The incense and tea-lights are lit, and a libation is poured. Each person is given a cup of the tea. In this case, it would be a good idea to give Ganymede His own cup for libations as a gesture that it is His turn to be receiving drinks.