March 17 - 25, including the Spring Equinox
The Great Dionysia, Dionisia ta en Astei, or Dionysia ta Megala, is the celebration of Dionysos as a releaser of the wildness of nature, especially human nature. As god of things wild, ecstatic, and uncontrolled, Dionysos inspired the dramatic arts that allowed mankind to spill forth his inner turmoil, his inner desires, his inner debauchery while at the same time retaining his civilization.
The great dramas and tragedies of Greek culture were written and performed in honor of such festivals all over Greece. And in Athens in particular, the works of the great Greek dramatists such as Aeschylos, Euripides, and Sophocles were performed before enraptured audiences to honor this God.
For me, however, this is also a time of celebrating Dionysos as a God of vegetation. A God who empowers the world's low lying vegetation, where Persephone lends beauty to nature through flowers and Aphrodite motivates the reproduction of life all over the land. So to me, the Great Dionysia is a time to celebrate Civilization, nature, love, and how all of these bring forth and maintain our civilization.
We owe much to Dionysos, the inspiring God, and this is my chance to say thank you and welcome in the Spring.