Bacchanalia: what is it and how bad is it?

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Bacchanalia. What it is, many represent mainly on the canvases of the great painter Peter Paul Rubens. There is hardly anyone who has never heard this word. And everyone roughly represents its meaning. But few people think about the origin of this word and the phenomenon it denotes. It has entered the consciousness of many peoples so firmly that it is considered superfluous to comment on it, everything is clear with it and everything is clear to everyone. Meanwhile, this is a rather interesting phenomenon of the ancient existence of Ancient Rome.

Bacchanalia. What is it?

In today's reality, this word is used quite often, but more often than not it's completely irrelevant. Various politicians and simply dissatisfied citizens are accustomed to labeling everything that they do not like "bacchanalia". What it is, they usually do not know. And this is nothing less than a sacred ritual of serving the ancient god of winemaking Bacchus. This is such a peculiar manifestation of religious feelings, and not some kind of vulgar booze with other indecencies, as many people probably think whenhear the name of this ancient holiday. This festival came to ancient Rome from the east, where it was timed to coincide with the traditional completion of the grape harvest and its processing into young wine. But in Rome, this festival has acquired somewhat different features. At first, only women took part in it. They gathered in an olive grove on the outskirts of Rome, exclusively at night. With large doses of wine, they brought themselves to a state of religious frenzy and hysteria. The action was accompanied by unbridled violence, mutilations and murders.

It became even "more fun" when men began to participate in the festivities, and they began to be held much more often, without looking back at the calendar. The level of ugliness has become simply prohibitive. At these gatherings, among other things, political conspiracies were woven and criminal alliances were created. Everything negative in Rome gradually became associated with the word "orgy". What it is, it became clear even to the aristocracy who did not suffer from special modesty. The Roman Senate was forced to issue a series of acts aimed at restricting these cheerful folk customs. The Roman authorities struggled with bacchanalia for a long time. Approximately with the same success as in Russia with drunkenness.

Bacchanalia. Painting of an ancient holiday as a popular image in world art

This topic has made a strong impression on many generations of artists. Painters of subsequent centuries turned to the theme of bacchanalia with enviable constancy. It was both fashionable and in demand by the aristocratic public in a number of medieval countries. Europe. We althy people of both merchant and noble ranks loved to decorate their homes with scenes of Roman entertainment. Many sighed enviously, looking at how cheerfully the Romans lived.

And demand always creates supply. The recognized classic of this theme was Peter Paul Rubens. "Bacchanalia" by the great Flemish master is an adornment of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow.