LENEE. - A festival celebrated at Athens in the month of Gamelion (= Jan.–Feb.) in honour of Dioniso Lenaios (Ἀῆναις), and one of the four principal Attic festivals in honour of Dioniso.
Given the winter season in which it was celebrated, the L., rather than being vintage festivals and an almost glorification of the winepress (ὄγνός), the god’s sacred symbol, are more probably to be regarded as an orgiastic and mystical festival. They fell precisely during the period of the winter trieteric orgies; at Magnesia the Dionysiac initiates celebrated funeral rites for their companions in the Lenaion; the Orphic βαρχέων of Athens was sacred to Dioniso Leneo, mysteries were celebrated there, and Dioniso Leneo was closely connected with the infernal deities (Heraclitus, frg. 15, identifies Dioniso, celebrated in the L., with Hades).
The place where the L. were celebrated was Athens, where, throughout the Lenean territory, a solemn procession took place, probably phallophoric, with burlesque and coarse jests, with a banquet at which the new wine was drunk, and with dramatic performances.