Though considered pagan by the highly conservative Greek Orthodox church after 16-and-a-half centuries, Followers of the 12 Greek Gods finally carried out their rites in the open.
Hundreds of followers of Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Artemis, Aphrodite and Hermes stood in a circle, a mile from the Acropolis, in what was the first official religious service allowed in the grounds of an Ancient Greek temple of Olympian Zeus in Athens.
The culture ministry was obliged to grant permission for the event after a court last year legitimized the religion. The group, which calls itself ‘The Holy Association of Greek Ancient Religion Believers’, believe that the Olympian gods exist in the world and control various elements of nature.
The ceremony was an attempt to emulate those carried out in Athens in the 4th Century BC, when the Greeks were preparing for the games at Olympia. They are the followers of the 12 Greek Gods, who, according to mythology, ruled the Ancient World from Mount Olympus.
Via: BBC
