As ἱεροποιός of the Hudson Valley Bakcheion I would like to officially wish y’all a blessèd Ἀνθεστήρια, our most important festival of Dionysian epiphany, sex and death, wine and flowers — and many other mysterious things! (Which I’ve written about extensively, both here and at The Bakcheion, not to mention my poetry collection What Flowers in the Dark which explores the diverse traditions associated with the celebration of this festival in various locales and times.) I’m going to wait on the first batch of divination for the fundraiser until Monday after the Κῆρες have been driven from the doors, but will happily pass on any prayers, petitions or well wishes you might have, dear reader, for our Lord Διόνυσος Φλέως during this holy tide of his. Just shoot me an email at sannion@gmail.com between now and Χύτροι.
The House of Vines 
Kala Anthesteria! IO EUOI!!!
What’s that epithet you used? Fleos? Of the Flesh? I’d love to hear more about Dionysos Fleos (though I feel like I can guess what this form is about)
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Phléos means “he who causes to swell” which can be interpreted in a number of ways. Dionysos causes the fruit to become swollen with moisture on the vine; he makes the flowers rise up from the cold, barren Earth with the dead following in their wake; just as the tides became swollen with rain and burst their bounds covering the Earth in a deluge during the days of Deukalion, the sweet sailor of the wine-dark seas in his Black Ship like the one paraded through the city on a wagon, full to bursting with the blessings of Dionysos; and the swollen goatskin, slick with oil on which men danced and grappled to commemorate the slaughter of the vine-munching beast by Ikarios, who himself was killed by people full of wine and wrathful madness; as well as the giant phalloi tumescent with life’s juices which were carried through the streets causing collective erotic mania until curative dances were instituted by the Pythia, pregnant with Apollon’s prophetic utterances, etc.
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That makes sense
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