The Greek Festival of Thesmophoria

The Greek Festival of Thesmophoria In ancient Greece, a festival used to be held in about 50 cities or villages, to honor the goddess who taught mankind to tend the soil. There was no question but that the festival was part of the goddess worship. That is, it wasnt just a secular, condoned over-indulgence event. In Athens, the women met near the mens assembly site on the Pnyx and in Thebes, they met where the boule had met. The Date of Thesmophoria The festival, Thesmophoria, was held during a month known as Pyanopsion (Puanepsion), in the lunisolar calendar of the Athenians. Since our calendar is solar, the month doesnt exactly match, but Pyanopsion would be, more or less, October into November, the same months as the Canadian and U.S. Thanksgivings. In ancient Greece, this was the time of the fall planting of crops like barley and winter wheat. Asking Demeters Help On the 11-13 of Pyanopsion, at a festival that included role reversals, like women electing female officials to preside over state-sponsored feasts [Burton], Greek matrons took a break from their usually homebound lives to participate in the autumn sowing ( Sporetos) festival of Thesmophoria. Although most of the practices remain a mystery, we know that the holiday was a bit more involved than our modern versions and that no men were allowed to participate. The matrons probably symbolically relived the anguish Demeter suffered when her daughter Persephone was abducted by Hades. They also probably asked for her help in obtaining a bountiful harvest. The Goddess Demeter Demeter (the Greek version of the Roman goddess Ceres) was the goddess of grain. It was her job to feed the world, but when she discovered her daughter had been kidnapped, she became so depressed she wouldnt do her job. Finally, she found out where her daughter was, but that didnt help much. She still wanted Persephone back and the god who had abducted Persephone didnt want to return his lovely prize. Demeter refused to eat or feed the world until the other gods arranged a satisfactory resolution to her conflict with Hades over Persephone. After her reunion with her daughter, Demeter gave the gift of agriculture to mankind so we could plant for ourselves. Thesmophorias Ritual Insults Before the Thesmophoria festival itself, there was a preparatory night-time festival called the Stenia. At the Stenia women engaged in Aiskhrologia, insulting each other and using foul language. This may have commemorated Iambes successful attempts to make the grieving mother Demeter laugh. The story of Iambe and Demeter: A long time she sat upon the stool without speaking because of her sorrow, and greeted no one by word or by sign, but rested, never smiling, and tasting neither food nor drink, because she pined with longing for her deep-bosomed daughter, until careful Iambe- who pleased her moods in aftertime also- moved the holy lady with many a quip and jest to smile and laugh and cheer her heart.- Homeric Hymn to Demeter A Fertility Component of the Thesmophoria During the Stenia prelude to the Thesmophoria or, at any rate, sometime before the actual festival, it is believed that certain women (Antletriai Bailers) placed fertility objects, phallic-shaped bread, pine cones and sacrificed piglets, in a possibly snake-filled chamber called a megaron. After the uneaten pig remains had begun to rot, the women retrieved them and the other objects and placed them on the altar where farmers could take them and mix with their grain seed to ensure an abundant harvest. This happened during the Thesmophoria proper. Two days may not have been enough time for decomposition, so some people think the fertility objects were thrown down not during the Stenia, but during the Skira, a midsummer fertility festival. This would have given them 4 months to decompose. That presents another problem since the remains might not have lasted for four months. The Ascent The first day of the Thesmophoria itself was Anodos, the ascent. Carrying all the supplies they would need for 2 nights and 3 days, the women went up the hill, set up camp on the Thesmophorion (the hillside sanctuary of Demeter Thesmophoros Demeter the law-giver). They then slept on the ground, probably in 2-person leafy huts, since Aristophanes* refers to sleeping partners. The Fast The second day of the Thesmophoria was the Nesteia Fast when women fasted and mocked each other, again using the foul language that may have been a deliberate imitation of Iambe and Demeter. They may also have whipped each other with bark scourges. The Kalligeneia The third day of the Thesmophoria was the Kalligeneia Fair Offspring. Commemorating Demeters torch-light search for her daughter, Persephone, there was a night-time torch-lit ceremony. The bailers ritually purified, descended to the megaron to remove the decayed matter thrown down earlier (either a couple of days or up to 4 months): pigs, pine cones, and dough that had been formed in the shape of mens genitals. They clapped to scare the snakes away and brought back the material so they could place it on the altars for later use as, especially potent fertilizer in the sowing of seed. *For a humorous picture of the religious festival, read Aristophanes comedy about a man who tries to infiltrate the women-only festival, Thesmophoriazusae. It is called Thesmophoria, because Demeter is called Thesmophoros in respect of her establishing laws or thesmoi in accordance with which men must provide nourishment and work the land.- David Noy Sources Interpreting the Athenian Thesmophoria, by Allaire B. Stallsmith. Classical Bulletin 84.1 (2009) pp. 28-45.Eratosthenes and the Women: Reversal in Literature and Ritual, by Jordi Pmias; Classical Philology, Vol. 104, No. 2 (Apr. 2009), pp. 208-213.Womens Commensality in the Ancient Greek World, by Joan Burton; Greece Rome, Vol. 45, No. 2 (Oct. 1998), pp. 143-165.

Knowing How and When to Correct Students in Class

Knowing How and When to Correct Students in Class A crucial issue for any teacher is when and how to correct students English mistakes. Of course, there are a number of types of corrections that teachers are expected to make during the course of any given class. Here are the main types of mistakes that need to be corrected: Grammatical mistakes (mistakes of verb tenses, ​preposition use, etc.)Vocabulary mistakes (incorrect collocations, idiomatic phrase usage, etc.)Pronunciation mistakes (errors in basic pronunciation, errors in word stressing in sentences, errors in rhythm and pitch)Written mistakes (grammar, spelling and vocabulary choice mistakes in written work) The main issue at hand during oral work is whether or not to correct students as they make mistakes. Mistakes may be numerous and in various areas (grammar, vocabulary choice, the pronunciation of both words and correct stressing in sentences). On the other hand, correction of written work boils down to how much correction should be done. In other words, should teachers correct every single mistake, or, should they give a value judgment and correct only major mistakes? Mistakes Made During Discussions and Activities With oral mistakes made during class discussions, there are basically two schools of thought: 1) Correct often and thoroughly 2) Let students make mistakes. Sometimes, teachers refine the choice by choosing to let beginners make many mistakes while correcting advanced students often. However, many teachers are taking a third route these days. This third route might be called selective correction. In this case, the teacher decides to correct only certain errors. Which errors will be corrected is usually decided by the objectives of the lesson, or the specific exercise that is being done at that moment. In other words, if students are focusing on simple past irregular forms, then only mistakes in those forms are corrected (i.e., goed, thinked, etc.). Other mistakes, such as mistakes in a future form, or mistakes of collocations (for example I made my homework) are ignored. Finally, many teachers also choose to correct students after the fact. Teachers take notes on common mistakes that students make. During the follow-up correction session, the teacher then presents common mistakes made so that all can benefit from an analysis of which mistakes were made and why. Written Mistakes There are three basic approaches to correcting written work: 1) Correct each mistake 2) Give a general impression marking 3) Underline mistakes and/or give clues to the type of mistakes made and then let students correct the work themselves. Whats All the Fuss About? There are two main points to this issue: If I allow students to make mistakes, I will reinforce the errors they are making. Many teachers feel that if they do not correct mistakes immediately, they will be helping reinforce incorrect language production skills. This point of view is also reinforced by students who often expect teachers to continually correct them during class. The failure to do so will often create suspicion on the part of the students. If I dont allow students to make mistakes, I will take away from the natural learning process required to achieve competency and, eventually, fluency. Learning a language is a long process during which a learner will inevitably make many, many mistakes. In other words, we take a myriad of tiny steps going from not speaking a language to being fluent in the language. In the opinion of many teachers, students who are continually corrected become inhibited and cease to participate. This results in the exact opposite of what the teacher is trying to produce: the use of English to communicate. Why Correction Is Necessary Correction is necessary. The argument that students just need to use the language and the rest will come by itself seems rather weak. Students come to us to  teach  them. If they only want conversation, they will probably inform us, or, they might just go to a chat room on the Internet.  Obviously,  students need to be corrected as part of the learning experience. However, students also need to be encouraged to use the language. It is true that correcting students while they are trying their best to use the language can often discourage them. The most satisfactory solution of all  is to make  correction an activity. Correction can be used as a follow-up to any given class activity. However, correction sessions can be used as a valid activity in and of themselves. In other words, teachers can set up an activity during which each mistake (or a specific type of mistake) will be corrected. Students know that the activity is going to focus on  correction  and accept that f act. However, these activities should be kept in balance with other, more free-form, activities which give students the opportunity to express themselves without having to worry about being corrected every other word. Finally, other techniques should be used to make correction not only part of the  lesson  but also a more effective learning tool for the students. These techniques include: Deferring correction to the end of an activityTaking notes on typical mistakes made by many studentsCorrecting only one type of errorGiving students clues to the type of error they are making (in written work) but allowing them to correct the mistakes themselvesAsking other students to remark on mistakes made and then explain the rules by themselves. A great technique for getting teacher pets listening instead of answering each question themselves. However, use this with caution! Correction is not an either/or issue. Correction needs to take  place  and is expected and desired by students. However, the manner in which  teachers correct students  play a vital role in whether students become confident in their usage or become intimidated. Correcting students as a group, in correction sessions, at the end of activities, and letting them correct their own mistakes all help in encouraging students to use English rather than to worry about making too many mistakes.