Some of the most important festivals of ancient Greece involved athletic competition, such as the Olympic Games, which were held in honour of Zeus, and the Pythian Games, held at Delphi in honour of Apollo. One festival in Athens, held to honour Dionysos, involved a competition between playwrights.
There are a lot of different festivals like....
- Anthesteria - Festival of Dionysus and the new wine
- Apaturia - Festival of the phratry brotherhood
- Dionysia - Dramatic festival of Dionysus
- Eleusinia - Festival of games held at Eleusis
- Panathenaea
- Pyanepsia - A bean feast
- Thargelia - Festival of Apollo and the new harvest
- Thesmophoria - Festival of Demeter celebrated by women
Anthesteria Festival- Anthesteria was one of the festivals held in honor of Dionysus. It was celebrated in most Ionian communities, but most of our information about the festival comes from Athens, where it was of particular importance. Anthesteria was held annually for three days (11th-13th) in the month of Anthesterion (February-March). Although its name indicates a Festival of Flowers (anthos), the festival focused primarily on opening the new wine and on placating the spirits of the dead.
Apaturia were ancient Greek festivals held annually by all the Ionian towns, except Ephesus and Colophon. ... The name is a slightly modified form of ἁπατόρια or ἁμαπατόρια, ὁμοπατόρια, the festival of "common relationship".
The Dionysia was a large festival in ancient Athens in honor of the god Dionysus, the central events of which were the theatrical performances of dramatic tragedies and, from 487 BC, comedies. It was the second-most important festival after the Panathenaia.
In conclusion, Ancient greece had many different festivals. Some of the most important festivals of ancient Greece involved athletic competition, such as the Olympic Games, which were held in honour of Zeus, and the Pythian Games, held at Delphi in honour of Apollo. That’s why ancient greece festivals were important back then.