a festival observed by the Athenians. It receives its name ἀπὸ τῶν στεφάνων τῆς ὑγρᾶς, "from carrying boughs hung up with grapes," called στεφάνη. Its original institution is thus mentioned by Plut. in Theb. Theseus, on returning from Crete, forgot to hang out the white sail, by which his father was to be apprised of his success. This neglect proved fatal to Ægeus, for he threw himself into the sea, and perished. Theseus no sooner reached the land, than he sent a herald to inform his father of his safe return, and in the mean time he began to make the sacrifices which he had vowed to make when he first set foot from Crete. The herald, on his entrance into the city, found the people in great agitation. Some lamented the king's death, while others, elated at the sudden news of the victory of Theseus, crowned the herald with garlands in token of their joy. The herald carried back the garlands on his staff to the sea shore; and, after waiting till Theseus had finished his sacrifice, he related the melancholy account of the king's death. Upon this the people ran in crowds to the city, showing their grief by cries and lamentations — From this circumstance, therefore, at the feast of Oschophoria, not the herald but his staff is crowned with garlands, and all the people that are present always exclaim ἐπὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ, the first of which expresses haste, and the others a consternation or depression of spirits. The historian further mentions, that Theseus, when he went to Crete, did not take with him the usual number of virgins, but that in the place of two of them, he took two youths of his acquaintance, whom he caused to pass for women, by disguising their dress, and by accompanying them to the ointments and perfumes of women, as well as by a long and successful imitation of their voice. The imposition succeeded; their sex was not discovered in Crete; and when Theseus had triumphed over the Minotaur, he with these two young men led a procession, with branches in their hands, in the same habit, which is still used at the celebration of the festival. The branches which were carried were in honour of Bacchus or Ariadne, or because they returned in autumn, when the grapes were ripe. Besides this procession, there was also a race, in which young men only whose parents were both alive were permitted to engage. It was customary for them to run from the temple of Bacchus to that of Minerva, which was on the sea-shore. The place where they stopped was called ὁσκόπορον, because the boughs which they carried in their hands were deposited there. The rewards of the conqueror was a cup called πέντε-λάβα, "five-fold," because it contained a mixture of five different things, wine, honey, cheese, meal, and oil.