A tradition rooted in the worship of ancient Greek agriculture and the harvest goddess Demeter, the “polysporia”, revived again this year in the area of ancient Eleusis, on the eve of the Virgin Mary’s Presentation (Nov. 21), on Wednesday, ANA reports.
According to the Folklore Association of Elefsina “Adrachti” (Spindle), which is responsible for the annual event and spoke to Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA), residents of the area convene at the local folklore museum with boiled legumes and wheat, based on a tradition of offering the type of crop each family cultivated.
They bring them to the museum, where they are again boiled together, with the addition of grape molasses, pomegranate and raisins. The ultimate product, called “polysporia”, is then distributed in small plastic cups after the evening liturgy, or around 5:00 p.m. to worshippers at the Church of Panagia Mesosporitissa, which crowns a hill in the ancient cult center of Demeter.
Greece is promoting the tradition for inclusion in UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list.
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