Phallic processions are public celebrations featuring a

phallus A phallus (: phalli or phalluses) is a penis (especially when erect), an object that resembles a penis, or a mimetic image of an erect penis. In art history, a figure with an erect penis is described as ''ithyphallic''. Any object that symbo ...

, a representation of an erect penis.

Ancient Greece

Called ''phallika'' in

ancient Greece Ancient Greece () was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity (), that comprised a loose collection of culturally and linguistically r ...

, these

procession A procession is an organized body of people walking in a formal or ceremonial manner. History Processions have in all peoples and at all times been a natural form of public celebration, as forming an orderly and impressive ceremony. Religious ...

s were a common feature of Dionysiac celebrations; they advanced to a cult center, and were characterized by obscenities and

verbal abuse Verbal abuse (also known as verbal aggression, verbal attack, verbal violence, verbal assault, psychic aggression, or psychic violence) is a type of Psychological abuse, psychological/mental abuse that involves the use of Oral language, oral or w ...

.Dunkle, Roger

'' in ''Introduction to Greek and Roman Comedy'' The display of a fetishized phallus was a common feature. In a famous passage in chapter 4 of the ''

Poetics Poetics is the study or theory of poetry, specifically the study or theory of device, structure, form, type, and effect with regards to poetry, though usage of the term can also refer to literature broadly. Poetics is distinguished from hermeneu ...

'',

Aristotle Aristotle (; 384–322 BC) was an Ancient Greek philosophy, Ancient Greek philosopher and polymath. His writings cover a broad range of subjects spanning the natural sciences, philosophy, linguistics, economics, politics, psychology, a ...

formulated the hypothesis that the earliest forms of comedy originated and evolved from "those who lead off the phallic processions", which were still common in many towns at his time.

Modern Greece

The city of Tyrnavos holds an annual festival, a traditional phallophoric event on the first days of

Lent Lent (, 'Fortieth') is the solemn Christianity, Christian religious moveable feast#Lent, observance in the liturgical year in preparation for Easter. It echoes the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring Temptation of Christ, t ...

.''The Annual Phallus Festival in Greece''
Der Spiegel, English edition, Retrieved on 15-12-08 In August 2000, to promote a production of

Aristophanes Aristophanes (; ; ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek Ancient Greek comedy, comic playwright from Classical Athens, Athens. He wrote in total forty plays, of which eleven survive virtually complete today. The majority of his surviving play ...

' ''

The Clouds ''The Clouds'' (, ''Nephelai'') is a Greek comedy play written by the playwright Aristophanes. A lampooning of intellectual fashions in classical Athens, it was originally produced at the City Dionysia in 423BC and was not as well received as th ...

'', a traditional Greek phallic procession was organized, with a long phallus paraded by the cast with the accompaniment of

Balkan music Balkan music is a type of music found in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe. In its broadest sense, it encompasses a variety of music styles across the countries of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo ...

; the phallic device was banned by the staff of the

Edinburgh Festival __NOTOC__ This is a list of Arts festival, arts and cultural festivals regularly taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland. The city has become known for its festivals since the establishment in 1947 of the Edinburgh International Festival and the ...

Japan

Similar parades of

Shinto , also called Shintoism, is a religion originating in Japan. Classified as an East Asian religions, East Asian religion by Religious studies, scholars of religion, it is often regarded by its practitioners as Japan's indigenous religion and as ...

origin have long been part of the rich traditions of ''

matsuri Japanese festivals, or , are traditional festive occasions often celebrated with dance and music in Japan. The origin of the word ''matsuri'' is related to the ; there are theories that the word ''matsuri'' is derived from meaning "to wait (for ...

'' (Japanese festivals). Although the practice is no longer common, a few, such as Kawasaki's Kanamara Matsuri and

Komaki is a city located in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 148,872 in 68,174 households, and a population density of . The total area of the city was . Komaki is commonly associated with the former Komaki Airport, whi ...

's Hōnen Matsuri, continue to this day. Typically, the phallus is placed in a '' mikoshi'', a portable

Shinto shrine A Stuart D. B. Picken, 1994. p. xxiii is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more kami, , the deities of the Shinto religion. The Also called the . is where a shrine's patron is or are enshrined.Iwanami Japanese dic ...

Notes

Bibliography

*Richardson, N. J., ''The Homeric Hymn to Demeter''. Oxford, 1974, pp. 214–15 *O’Higgins, Laurie, ''Women and Humor in Classical Greece.'' Cambridge, 2003. p. 57 *For the outrageous practice of "abuse from the wagons" see Fluck, H., ''Skurrile Riten in griechischen Kulten.'' Diss. Freiburg. Endingen, 1931., pp. 34–51 *Pickard-Cambridge, Arthur, Dithyramb, Tragedy, and Comedy. 2nd edition, rev. by T.B.L. Webster. Cambridge, 1962. *Reckford, Kenneth, Aristophanes’ Old-and-New Comedy. Chapel Hill, 1987. pp. 463–65 * alph M. Rosen(2006)
Comic Aischrology and the Urbanization of Agroikia
', pp. 219–238 *

'' in Cornford, F. M. the Origin of Attic Comedy. Ed. T. H. Gaster. Intro Jeffrey Henderson. Ann Arbor: U of MI P, 1993. *Eric Csapo
Riding the Phallus for Dionysus: Iconology, Ritual, and Gender-Role De/Construction
' Phoenix, Vol. 51, No. 3/4 (Autumn–Winter, 1997), pp. 253–295 {{doi, 10.2307/1192539

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