On Mount Olympus, devotees of polytheism, dressed in white robes and colorful tunics, gather each year to honor the gods with ceremonies that aim to revive the ethos, rituals, and lifestyle of ancient Greece. The Prometheia festival, held annually since 1996, attracts visitors to the foothills of Mount Olympus, the mythological abode of the ancient Greek gods.
The festival, running from July 4-7, commenced with a torch-lighting ceremony and a relay from the archaeological site of Dion to the Prometheus grove. Participants, raising their hands to the sky, pouring wine on the ground, and dipping their feet in the Enipeas river, sought to honor the gods and purify their souls.
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“Olympus is the great journey towards Hellenism. It is the abode of the gods and everything starts from here,” said Georgia Altintasiotou, President of the Cultural Association “Prometheus Pyrforos,” which organizes the festival. She emphasized the festival’s mission to infuse ancient Greek values and spirit into modern life.
Christos Pandion Panopoulos, a founding member of the religious community conducting some of the rituals, highlighted the essence of polytheism: “Polytheism … recognizes the divine within the world, which manifests itself in many forms, with different entities, the so-called gods and goddesses.”
The festival’s name pays homage to Prometheus, who, according to mythology, stole fire from the Olympian gods to give to humankind. Altintasiotou expressed her dedication to this divine whole: “Every element of nature is a god, a goddess. As a Greek woman and as a human being, I have an obligation towards this divine whole, to take care of it, to love it.”
