Adonia

The Adonia is a celebration of the myth of Aphrodite and Adonis. For those of you who don't know, the two were lovers but Adonis was killed too soon. A boar gave him a mortal wound during a hunting trip. The youthful prince traveled down into Hades, and there he caught the eye of Persephone. She refused to give him up until Zeus brokered a deal. Adonis would live in the Underworld with Persephone, but when Persephone left Adonis would live with Aphrodite.


There are many traditions for this holiday, including the construction of an Adonis Garden. The garden was built on the roof of the home by the women. They would fill it with fast growing plants like lettuce, fennel, etc The garden would be carefully maintained and treated with love. Once the plants began to emerge from the ground, the garden would then be destroyed. The plants were either crushed, burned, or thrown into a river. This act is symbolic of Adonis's early death. A similar tradition is the construction of effigies from grasses or flowers. They were buried in coffins or cremated with the burial rites of a real human. Yet another traditions includes a divine drama portraying the marriage of Adonis and Aphrodite. The inclusion of this drama gives the Adonia a rebirth quality. Adonis is buried and mourned during the first few days. But towards the end of the festival you have marriage celebrations as the prince leaves Persephone to be with Aphrodite. Boars and other types of pigs were a common offering during this time. The reason being, is that they were responsible for Adonis's death.


According to the myth, the rose got its red color as a result of Aphrodite and Adonis. When Adonis was struck by the boar Aphrodite was far away in Her temple. She heard the cries of Her love and ran to be by his side. In the process She stepped on a plant with white flowers and many thorns. Her divine blood spilled over the petal and stained them red.


During the Adonia this year I am offering 30 poems, pork, wine, roses, and I am reading the myth aloud. Also I am constructing an altar especially for this holiday. Me making an extra altar is a rare event. Naturally, I'm going to decorate it with flowers and red cloth. I'm also going to include representations of the phallus and womb during intercourse. I have a stone shaped like a phallus so all I need is a womb. I may end up using a sea snail shell and just putting the stone in it. Theses are just rough plans for the altar.