If you wanted a god to look after
you in Ancient Greece it was important to honour him or her properly. People
honoured their gods in many different ways. They believed that in order to get
something, first you had to give something – just like in everyday life. So, if
you gave the gods things that they liked, they would be happy and return the
favour by helping you. Sometimes people would just give a god something small,
like a cake or some incense, but sometimes they would give larger gifts like
statues or personal items.
An important kind of gift was an
animal sacrifice. A number of people would gather together and kill an animal
(usually a sheep, goat, pig or cow) near an altar to a god. They would then
cook and eat the meat together at a feast. The bones and fat were burnt for the
god as his or her share. Religious feasting like this bonded people together,
and bonded people with the gods. Usually the Greeks honoured their gods one at
a time and created plenty of opportunities to celebrate and honour the gods.
Whole cities would also give
gifts to the gods, like temples and giant statues of them. Temples were mostly
used to store valuable gifts that people had given to the gods. People did not
meet inside them to worship – instead, they gathered around the altar, which
was usually located in front of the temple. The altar was the most important
part of a Greek sanctuary, not the temple. Some sanctuaries didn't even have
temples.
Another way that the Ancient
Greeks would honour the gods was through competitions. The Olympic games, for
example, were held in Zeus' honour. In Athens, people competed to write and
perform the best plays in honour of Dionysus. Processions were also an important
part of Greek religion. People would walk long distances through cities or the
countryside carrying gifts to the gods and sacred objects. Both competitions
and processions were important events for the Greeks. They were entertaining
and they bonded the community together.
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