Rites, Holidays & Rituals
updated by: High Priest Zevios Metathronos & Pythia
The sacred life of the Temple in three parts: the rites that accompany a Zevist from birth to death, the eight holidays of the Zevist year, and the Rituals of the Gods.
I
The Rites
Αἱ Τελεταί
The Rites of Life
Angelica Kauffman, Cornelia, Mother of the Gracchi, 1785
The sacred rites that accompany the Zevist through every stage of life, from birth to death.
Birth
The Amphidromia
The Rite of the Secret Name
The parents bestow upon the newborn a hidden spiritual name of protection, known only to themselves and the Gods.
Initiation
The Zevist Baptism
Rite of Spiritual Initiation
Through water, oil, fire and the spoken Name, a person is received into the family of Zeus and the Gods.
- Part I: The Baptism of Infants
- Part II: The Baptism of Adults, with the Spiritual Name
Coming of Age
The Ephebeia
Rite of Passage into Adulthood
At eighteen, a young person is recognized as an adult member of the community of the Gods.
Union
The Zevist Wedding
Rite of Sacred Union
Two people are joined in sacred union before Zeus, Hera and the Gods.
- Form I: The Sacred Wedding, with a Priest or Priestess
- Form II: The Private Union
- The Priestly Blessing, for those already married
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Passage
The Zevist Funeral
Rite of Passage to the Gods
The dead are sanctified, the soul empowered, and its way to the Elysian Fields blessed.
- Form I: The Sacred Funeral, with a Priest or Priestess
- Form II: The Private Farewell
- Form III: The Genesia, the 40-Day Memorial
II
The Holidays
Αἱ Ἑορταί
The Zevist Calendar
Sandro Botticelli, Primavera, about 1480
The eight festivals of the Zevist year, the 4 Astronomical Holidays and the 4 Mystery Holidays, kept by the astrological and calendar dates. Each festival has its own page, with its history, its Rite and its Psalm; the year as a whole is The Zevist Calendar, and its 8 Psalms are The Festival Psalms.
Winter
22 to 23 DecemberCheimerinai TropaiΧειμεριναὶ ΤροπαίBruma · Saturnalia · Winter Solstice · YuleZeus and DionysosThe rebirth of the light out of the longest darkness.
2 FebruaryAnthesteriaἈνθεστήριαLupercalia · ImbolcEstia and ArtemisPurification by fire and water.Spring
21 MarchEarine IsemeriaἘαρινὴ ἸσημερίαHilaria · Spring EquinoxAstarteRenewal and fertility.
30 April to 1 MayThargeliaΘαργήλιαFloralia · BeltaneAphroditeSacred union.Summer
23 to 24 JuneTherinai TropaiΘεριναὶ ΤροπαίSolstitium · Fors Fortuna · Summer Solstice · MidsummerApolloThe triumph of light.
1 AugustThalysiaΘαλύσιαConsualia · Lammas · LughnasadhDemeterThe first harvest.Autumn
21 SeptemberPhthinoporine IsemeriaΦθινοπωρινὴ ἸσημερίαSacra Cereris · Autumn EquinoxDemeter and PersephoneThe descent.
31 OctoberGenesiaΓενέσιαMundus Patet · SamhainPersephone, Pluton and AnubisCommunion with the dead and the confrontation with mortality.
III
The Zevist Rituals
Αἱ Ἱερουργίαι
The Rituals of the Gods
Andrea Appiani, The Olympus, 1806
The Temple's rituals stand on ToZ Rituals: the rituals of the Gods, the Chthonic Gods and the Heroes, the Blessings, the Ancient Hymn Library, the schedule of the rituals and the guide to their terms.
ToZ Rituals
The Rituals of the Gods
The Temple's rituals for each of the Gods, the Gods below and the Heroes, the Blessings, the Ancient Hymn Library, and the schedule by which the rituals are held together.
- The GodsThe power rituals of the Original Gods, from Abrasax to Zeus.
- The Chthonic GodsNyx, Thanatos, Charon, Phobos, Deimos, Eris, the Erinyes and Eumenides, Kronos, Styx and Melinoe.
- The HeroesThe Ritual of the Great Ancestors and the HPS Pythia Apotheosis Ritual.
- The BlessingsThe Community Blessing for every Zevist, Employment, Wealth and Prosperity, and ToZ Protection.
- The Ancient Hymn LibraryAncient hymns in English and Greek, with the pronunciation beneath every Greek line.
- The Ritual ScheduleThe programme of the rituals and the times of their sessions.
- The GuideLiturgical Terms Explained: the sacred vocabulary, the symbols and the structure of the rituals.