APATURIA (Ἀπατούρια). - The etymology is certainly from ἀ copulative and πάτορες, that is, festival of those who have ancestors in common. It was in fact common to all the Ionian stocks, with the exception of Ephesus and Colophon. For Athens we are, as is natural, better informed: yet it does not seem likely that there were differences of note between the Attic a. and the non-Attic ones. The a. were essentially family festivals; but, given the constitution of the Greek states, they assumed an importance out of the ordinary from the social-political point of view. They lasted three days: the first seems to have been called ἀνάρρυσις and was dedicated to the sacrifice, that is, to the slaughtering of the victims; the second, δόρτις, was dedicated to the great collective dinner of all the members of the phratry who attended. During the third (κουρῶσις) there took place the presentation, to the other members of the phratry, of the sons, whether natural or adopted, by the fathers, and of the new brides by their respective husbands. Since the members of the phratry could oppose the enrollment of the boy in the phratry, this was equivalent to denying him Athenian citizenship, with all the rights connected with it: whence the importance of the ceremony for the future of the future citizen.
The sons were presented twice in their life to the phratry: a first time - and it was probably a purely religious ceremony - at the age of 3-4 years, and a second time at puberty. The sacrifice offered on the occasion of the first presentation was called μεῖον, that is, lesser, and consisted of offerings of small animals, probably lambs. The sacrifice offered on the occasion of the second presentation was called κουρῶσιν for males, because it was connected with the ritual cutting of their hair, and γαμβλία for females because only after this ceremony - necessary in order that the future bride be considered in possession of Attic citizenship, indispensable for the recognition of the citizenship of the future offspring - could they enter into marriage; and it consisted of adult animals, as well as bread and wine. The sacrifices were made, in Attica, on the altar of Zeus Phratrios and Athena Phratria: evident in the choice of the divinities is the political character of the festival, superimposed upon its original gentilician one.
Rich in details on the conduct of the a. is the long inscription of the Demotionidai, found near ancient Decelea; other notices, precious but fragmentary, we derive from passages of authors and especially from scholia.
The a. were celebrated at the beginning of winter, when, that is, all the members of the family, scattered to earn their bread, gathered again around the hearth.
Bibliography
Paolino Mingazzini