DIONYSIA, or Bacchanalia, were festivals in honour of Dionysus (¢.v.) generally, but in particular the term refers to the festivals celebrated in Attica and by the branches of the Attic-Ionic race in the islands and in Asia Minor. In Attica there were two festivals annually. (1) The lesser Dionysia, or τa κατ aγpoυς, were held in the country places where the vine was grown in the month of December. This was a vintage festival, and was accompanied by songs, dance, phallus processions, and the impromptu performances of itinerant players, who with others from the city thronged to take part in the excitement of the rustic sports. (2) The greater Dionysia, or rù ∈v aστeι, were held in the city of Athens in the month of March. This was a festival of joy at the departure of winter and the promise of summer, Dionysus being regarded as having delivered the people from the wants and troubles of winter. The religious act of the festival was the conveying of the ancient image of the god, which had been brought from Eleutherae to Athens, from the ancient sanctuary of the Lenaeen to another sanctuary, with a chorus of boys and a procession carrying masks and singing the dithyrambus. The culmination of the festival was in the production of tragedies, comedies, and satiric dramas in the great theatre of Dionysus. Besides the Dionysia strictly so called, there were also the Lenaea and Anthesteria, both held in honour of this god, the former in January and the latter in February.