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ANTHESPHORIA

Volume 3 · 86 words · 1842 Edition

in Antiquity, a Sicilian festival instituted in honour of Proserpine. The word is derived from the Greek ἀνθεσφορία, flower, and ἄγω, I carry; because that goddess was forced away by Pluto when she was gathering flowers in the fields. Yet Festus does not ascribe the feast to Proserpine, but says it was thus called because ears of corn were carried on this day to the temples. Anthesphoria seems to be the same thing with the florifertum of the Latins, and answers to the harvest-home among us.