The Bacchanalia were ancient Roman celebrations in honor of the god Bacchus, involving heavy drinking and wild behavior. Originally only for women, they later became open to men and celebrated five times a month. The celebrations had their origins in older religious ceremonies and included the sacrament of wine and ritual dance. The Bacchanalia were banned by the Roman Senate in 186 BC, but continued underground and were later revived during Julius Caesar’s reign. They lost their sense of mystery over time and included a festive street procession.
The Bacchanalia were celebrations in honor of the god Bacchus in ancient Rome. They involved heavy drinking and wild behavior, as Bacchus is the god of wine. Originally open only to women and held in secret for three days a year, the Bacchanalia later became open to men and celebrated five times a month.
Bacchanalia evolved in southern Italy and spread to Rome in the 2nd century BC They had their origins in even older religious ceremonies celebrating a nature god. Central to ceremonies throughout their history was the sacrament of wine and a trance induced by drunkenness and ritual dance. Other mind-altering substances were also likely consumed. The bacchanalia included initiation rites that new arrivals had to undergo in order to participate, and elements of the rituals were kept secret from those who had not been initiated.
Shortly after the diffusion of the Bacchanalia in Rome, in 188 BC, the priestess Paculla Annia opened the celebrations to men and increased their frequency. The celebrations soon became overtly sexual in nature and the initiation ritual was fearsome, meant to symbolize a descent into hell and a rebirth. Secular authorities have found bacchanals to be a threat to the status quo. Outrageous crimes have been attributed to the cult of Bacchus, such as child molestation and ritual murder, in a backlash similar to the medieval European witch scare.
The Roman Senate banned Bacchanalia in 186 BC, except under certain circumstances and approved by the Senate. The penalty for violating the ban was execution. However, the Bacchanalia continued to exist underground.
Bacchanalia was revived around 50 BC, during the reign of Julius Caesar. The famous general Mark Antony became a devotee of Bacchus, making the cult more popular and accepted. Bacchanalia continued to be celebrated for at least 400 years in the Roman Empire, but lost much of the sense of mystery that initially characterized them. In their later incarnation, the Bacchanalia included a festive street procession.
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