Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-03
DELPH|C FESTIVAL
TO Be HELD IN MAY
Event Is Successor to Pyth.
ian Games of Ancient
Greece.

The Delphic festival, to be held. iri
Delphi, Greece, during May, has for
its ancestor the Pythian games of
ancient times. These took place every
four years in honor Of Apollo, legendary
founder of Delphi.
Nothing Is left of old Delphi but its
ruins and a stirring history, OF the
ruins the stadium is well preserved.
Some features of the festival will be
given there. The athletic events prob
ably will take place on the less re-
stricted Plains of Thessaly, where
athletes of old displayed their proves.
Delphi lies on the southern slopes
Of Mount ParnassuS, north of the Gulf
of Corinth," says bulletin from the
National Geographic Society. Rising
above it are two sheer cliffs, the Phae-
driadae, or Shining Ones of the
ancients. and below it lie the Thessa-
lonican Plains The city was built in
terraces up the mountainside.
Village Has Moved.
Until recently the village of Kastri
occupied the site of Delphi, but 1t was
moved a mile away when Psychologists
began excavating the city. Kastri, with
its two inns and single street, is the
headquarters for the tourists who visit
Delphi.
1.-THE oracle, supreme fortune teller
of the ancient world, was the cause OF
Delphi's once universal renown. Legend
says that intoxicating gases were waited
through a assure in the mountainside.
When these gases were breathed they
endowed the breather with prophetic
powers. A tripod was erected over the
assures and a prieSteSS was placed IN
q chair on the tripod. AS she breathed
the gases she uttered prophecies which
were translated to the outer world by
the priests of the temple that had
grown up around the sacred spot.
Kings and statesmen consulted the
oracle. Palm readers, astrologers and
common seeresses paled in comparison
with her powers. The Delphic priests
interpreted the prophecies of the priest
ess so ambiguously they could not fail
At one time Croesus of Sardis, the
Rockefeller of the ancient world, con-
templated q war against the Persians
He sent messengers to the oracle ask
ing her advice. She responded that If
he warred with the PerSians he would
destroy a great em2ire. Croesus con-
strued her answer favorably and began
the war. The great empire he destroyed
was his own.
Vaunted depths Glory.
Before his defeat Croesus was one
of the greatest donors of gifts to the
Delphian Temple. Gold urns, vases
and bowls were among his little re-
membranes Other rulers contributed
to the glory. of Delphi with statues
and buildings. Representatives of the
Attic states had headquarters there
just as modern countries have Ambas-
sailors and Ministers in Washington.
The chief building of the city was the
temple housing the oracle, dedicated
to Apollo. -
1.-THE priests of Delphi were probably
the best informed men of the ancient
world along political and sociological
lines. Pilgrims from all known coun-
tries came to consult them. Bribery
and corruption blackened their repute,
but it was not until the end Of the
fourth century, A. D., that the vene-
ration Of the oracle ceased. The re-
mains of the temple have been
unearthed but no trace has been found
of the sacred fissure
1.-THE majestic and awesome scenery
around Delphi may account in part for
the reverence in which the ancients
held it. Deep gorges, towering peaks
and the blue waters of the Gulf of
Corinth in the distance make it lone
Of the beauty spots of Greece"