Bible Encyclopedias
Orgia

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

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Engl. ORGIES (probably from Gr. ἔρδω, in the perfect ἔοργα , to sacrifice), or MYSTERIES, are the secret rites or customs connected with the worship of some of the pagan deities; as the secret worship of Ceres, and the festival of Bacchus, which was accompanied with mystical customs and drunken revelry. These festivals are the same as the Bacchanalia, Dionysia, etc., which were celebrated by the ancients to commemorate the triumph of Bacchus in India. The word orgies is now applied to scenes of drunkenness and debauchery.