Everyone knows about the Olympic Games , but the Delphic Games are unfamiliar and incomprehensible to many. What are they and how often are they held? Who are the participants in these events? You can learn about all this by reading this article.
What is the Delphic Games? A bit of history
The collection of festivals, contests, exhibitions and presentations in various art forms is called the Delphic Games. Once in ancient Greece, in addition to the famous Olympic sports, the Pythian Games were also held, which were dedicated to Apollo, the god of sunlight, science and medicine. They were held at the foot of the sacred mountain of Parnassus near the city of Delphi. Why were these games called Pythian? The thing is that the supreme god Apollo, according to legend, defeated Python (mythical dragon), who guarded the soothsayer and himself began to possess the gift of prediction. In honor of this victory, the golden-haired god established a new Agon and the Delphic oracle.
The rules of the first Delphic Games
Initially, competitions were conducted not only around art forms, but also represented sports (athletic) competitions, including chariot races. In Delphi, at the foot of the sacred mountain, everyone came together to demonstrate their special talents. Great emphasis was placed on musical competitions, in particular, performances to the accompaniment of kifara - Apollo's favorite string instrument . According to the established rules, the Pythian Games were held once every four years, and one year before the Olympic sports.
Delphic Games Testimonials
Reliable written evidence has come to us about the Pythian (Delphic) games. These sources indicate that the games were held from 582 BC. There is also evidence that after the 1st Holy War, control of the Games passed to the Council of 12 Greek tribes. In addition to written evidence, the Pythian Games can also be found in some illustrations. So, for example, painted vases were preserved dating back to 6-5 centuries BC, which depict scenes from ancient games. From sources it becomes known that in 394 AD, the Christian Emperor Theodosius the First, along with the Olympic Games, also prohibited the Pythian Games, since they were dedicated to pagan gods and could not take place in the United Roman Empire.
Revival of traditions
The year 1912, thanks to Baron Pierre de Coubertin, was marked by the revival of the Olympic Games. Until 1948, along with sports competitions, art competitions were also held as part of this grand event, but all of them were somehow related to sports. In the 1920s, an attempt was made in Greece to revive the Pythian Games, and an art festival was held in the ancient theater in the ancient city of Delphi. The organizers of this event were the Greek poet Angelos Sikelianos and his wife, American Eva Palmer. But since this initiative did not have state support, having existed for three years, these games were suspended until 1997, and only in 1997 the First International Youth Delphic Games took place in Tbilisi. Three years later, the First World Delphic Games were held in Moscow by decision of an international committee. They were attended by representatives of 27 countries. The headquarters of the Delphic Committee is now in Berlin. After the first games, youth delphiads were held in Albania, Georgia, Belarus, the Philippines and other countries. The cities where the Delphic Games are held are preparing for this event in advance. For each of them, this is a big responsibility. After all, representatives from all over the world come to this event, and the meeting party should be prepared enough to adequately meet guests and organize cultural competitions in an appropriate manner. These cities should have the necessary number of concert halls, exhibition halls.
Delphic Games Participants
There are no strict selection criteria for members of delegations participating in the games. They are not customary to divide into professionals and amateurs. The main condition is compliance with the requirements of the program, as well as the presence of high performing talent. Persons from 10 to 25 years old can participate in youth games, while there are three age categories in the nominations.
Russian delphiads
A few years after the revival of the World Delphic Games, the Russian Council seceded from the International. And if the World Games are held every four years, then the Russian games are held annually. They are held in one of the many cultural centers of Russia in late spring. They attract young talents from different parts of our country. At the same time, foreign delegations can participate in competitions, and Russian artists, in turn, often participate in the World Delphic Games. Before the games, from the end of autumn to the beginning of spring, qualifying rounds are held first at the district, and then at the municipal, regional and regional levels.
Contests and Competitions
Modern delphiads include competitions in almost all types of modern, classical and folk arts. It can be either web design, culinary or hairdressing, and theater, dance or symphonic music. In total, there are about forty nominations. And since the competition is not held as Olympic, that is, every four years, but annually, each time the competition is held in 20-30 types of the total number of nominations.
Delphic Games: Volgograd 2014
In early May of this year, the cultural project “Delphic Volgograd - 2014” was launched in the hero city of Volgograd. As part of this event, games were held among young talents. The total number of participants in the games was 2600 people (however, about a million participated in the qualifying rounds). They represented not only Russia, but also the countries of near and far abroad. The average age of the participants was 16 years. The Volgograd Delphic Games were the thirteenth in number. Many famous artists from around the world gathered in the city on the Volga, many of them entered the authoritative jury.
Opening of the Delphiad 2014
The grand opening of this grand event took place on the central promenade of the city of Volgograd. The Delphic Games attracted about 70,000 spectators, before which the participants of the Delphic Games paraded, and a theatrical performance was shown during the event. According to established tradition, the guests, members of the jury and the delegation welcomed from the orbit of the International Space Crew. There, in the immediate vicinity of the great Russian river, a fire was lit, and the national flag was also raised under the Russian anthem.
Competition program of the Volgograd Delphic Games
At 13 Youth Delphic Games, prizes were awarded in 29 categories. Here are some of them: instrumental music (piano, violin, saxophone, flute, guitar, balalaika, accordion), vocals (academic, folk, pop, solo and choral singing), dances (modern, folk and classical), applied art (culinary , hairdressing, design, including web design and other types), folk art crafts and crafts, circus. According to the rules, participants were divided into three age groups. About 30 cultural objects of Volgograd and Volzhsky were prepared for the competition. The high level of organization of the event testified to the seriousness with which the administration of the region and the Volgograd municipality reacted to this cultural holiday, called the "Delphic Games". Winners, of course, were determined by the jury.
Prizes and awards
For five days in Volgograd there were battles between representatives of delegations in various forms of art. A few days before the announcement of the closing of the Delphic Games 2014 festival, the results of the competition were already known. By the way, bronze, silver and gold medals were played between the participants , a total of 62 sets. According to the results of the competition program, winners and diploma winners were determined. The first went to medals, and the second to diplomas and incentive awards. However, the winners in the Classical Guitar nomination were expected by a joyful event: Gibson Guitars, the official partner of the Games, presented acoustic instruments to the gold winners. A team was formed from the laureates to participate in the European and then the World Delphic Games.
Winners
The first place in the number of prizes won was won by the Moscow team, the second was the team of the Samara region, and the third place was taken by players from the Primorsky Territory. The host team, that is, the Volgograd region, also entered the top five.