Dionysia

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. Ancient Greek festivals held seasonally, chiefly at Athens, in honor of Dionysus, especially those held in the fall and connected with the development of early Greek drama.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. In classical antiquity, the orgiastic and dramatic festivals celebrated periodically in various parts of Greece, in honor of Dionysus or Bacchus. The most important of these festivals, in the historic period, were those of Attica, which were four in number, celebrated annually: the Rural or Lesser Dionysia, the Lenaia, the Anthesteria, and the Dionysia in the City, or Greater Dionysia. The Lesser Dionysia were a vintage-festival, celebrated through the rural demes in the month of Poseideon (December), with universal merriment and freedom from restraint, extended even to slaves. Plays were performed during this festival, and from its characteristic songs and jests comedy was developed. The Greater Dionysia were observed at Athens in the second half of March, with a grand procession, a set chorus of boys, and the production in competition at the expense of the state, in the Dionysiac theater, in honor of the god, of the comedies and tragedies of which those surviving constitute our most precious treasures of ancient literature. See Bacchus, Lenaia, Anthesteria, choragic, and choragus.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. (Class. Antiq.) Any of the festivals held in honor of the Olympian god Dionysus. They correspond to the Roman Bacchanalia; the greater Dionysia were held at Athens in March or April, and were celebrated with elaborate performances of both tragedies and comedies.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. an orgiastic festival in ancient Greece in honor of Dionysus (= Bacchus)