THESMOPHOHIA (deff/io^pm)^ a great
festival and mysteries, celebrated in honour
of Ceres in various parts of Greece, and
only by women, though some ceremonies
were also performed by maidens. It was in-
tended to comqiemorate the introduction of
the laws and regulations of civilized life,
which was universally ascribed to Ceres.
The Attic thesmophoria probably lasted only
three days, and began on the 11th of Pyane-
psion, which day was called avo6og or Kado-
do^y because the solemnities were opened by
the women with a procession from Athens to
Eleusis. In this procession they carried on
their heads sacred laws {yoiiLuoi. fil^Xoi or
BefffioDj the introduction of which was as-
cribed to Ceres (Gec^io^pof), and other
symbols of civilized life. The women spent
the night at Eleusis in celebrating the mys-
teries of the goddess. The second day, call-
ed vfUTTeia, was a day of mourning, durine
which the women sat on the ground around
the statue of Ceres, and took no other



THR0NU8.
food than cakes made of sesame and honey.
On this day no meetings either pf the senate
or the people were held, It was probably in
the afternoon of this da^r that the women held
a procession ^t Athens, in which they walked
barefooted behind a waggon, upon which
baskets with mystical symbols were conveyed
to the thesmophorion. The third day, called
Ka?iXiyeveiaf from the circumstance that
Ceres was mvoked under this name, was
a day of merriment and raillery among iho
women themselves, in commemoration of
lambe, who was said to have made the god-
dess smile during her grief.
