Aphrodisia

The Aphrodisia festival is an annual festival held in Hellas in honor of the goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite. It took place in several Hellenic towns, but was especially important in Attica and on the island of Cyprus, where Aphrodite was celebrated with a magnificent celebration.

History

This is the bathing festival of Aphrodite Pandemos (Aphrodite of All Peoples) and Peitho (Persuasion), Her helper, who have been considered powerful goddesses since the archaic period; like Ishtar They are goddesses of war and statecraft as well as love.

Execution

The rituals of the Aphrodisia festival is consistent with Aphrodite's representation. 

• The first ritual of the festival would be to purify the temple with the blood from a dove, which we know is the sacred bird of Aphrodite.
• Afterwards, worshipers would carry sacred images of the goddess, as well as Peitho, in a procession to be washed. 

(In Cyprus, participants who were initiated into the Mysteries of Aphrodite were offered salt, a representation of Aphrodite's connection to the sea, and bread baked in the shape of a phallus. Aphrodite's connection to the sea is well-documented, and originates in Hesiod's Theogony, where he refers to her as the "foam-born goddess.")

• During the festival it was not permitted to make bloody sacrifices, since the altar could not be polluted with the blood of the sacrifice victims, which were usually white male goats. This of course excludes the blood of the sacred dove, made at the beginning of the ritual to purify the altar. 
• In addition to live male goats, worshipers would offer fire, flowers, and incense.

(The white male goat is also a consistent symbol in the worship of Aphrodite Pandemos. She was often represented in iconography riding on a male goat, which was known to be a carnal symbol.)

Observance

The festival occurred during through the month of Hekatombaion.
Aphrodite was worshiped in most towns of Cyprus, as well as in Cythera, Sparta, Thebes, Delos, and Elis, and her most ancient temple was at Paphos. Also in Corinth and in Athens, where the many prostitutes (hetairai) that resided in the city celebrated the festival as a means of worshipping their patron goddess. Aphrodisia festival may also occur in Cythera, Thebes, or Elis, it likely occurred since there is indication that Aphrodite Pandemos had a cult following in these areas. The Aphrodisia festival was one of the most important ceremonies in Delos, though we do not know much about the details of the celebration. The inscriptions merely indicate that the festival required the purchase of ropes, torches and wood, which were customary expenses of all Delian festivals.