Everyone probably knows about the Olympic Games, but the Delphic Games are unfamiliar and incomprehensible for 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 are Delphic Games? A bit of history
The set of festivals, competitions, exhibitions and presentations in various art forms are 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 healing. They were held at the foot of the sacred mountain 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 (the mythical dragon), who guarded the soothsayer and himself began to have the gift of divination. In honor of this victory, the golden-haired god established a new Agon and the Delphic oracle.
Rules of the first Delphic Games
Initiallycompetitions were held not only around the arts, but also represented sports (athletic) competitions, including “races” on chariots. Everyone who wanted to demonstrate their special talents gathered in Delphi at the foot of the sacred mountain. Great emphasis was placed on musical competitions, in particular, performances to the accompaniment of cithara, Apollo's favorite stringed instrument. According to the established rules, the Pythian Games were held every four years, and one year before the Olympic sports.
Evidence of the Delphic Games
About the Pythian (Delphic) games, reliable written evidence has come down to us. These sources indicate that the games were held from 582 BC. There is also evidence that after the 1st Holy War, the management of the Games passed to the Council of 12 Greek tribes. In addition to written evidence, the Pythian Games can also be learned from some of the illustrations. So, for example, painted vases date back to the 6th-5th centuries BC, which depict scenes from ancient games, have been preserved. From sources it becomes known that in 394 AD, the Christian emperor Theodosius the First, along with the Olympic Games, prohibited the holding of the Pythian Games, since they were dedicated to pagan gods and could not take place in the Unified Roman Empire.
Revival of traditions
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 grandiose event,however, they were all related to sports in one way or another. In the 1920s, an attempt was made in Greece to revive the Pythian Games, and an arts 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 had no state support, after three years of existence, 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 the decision of the 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 dolphins were held in Albania, Georgia, Belarus, the Philippines and other countries. Cities hosting the Delphic Games are preparing for this event in advance. For each of them it is a big responsibility. After all, representatives from all over the world come to this event, and the meeting party must be sufficiently prepared to adequately meet the guests and organize cultural competitions in an appropriate way. These cities should have the required number of concert halls, exhibition pavilions.
Participants of the Delphic Games
There are no strict criteria for selecting members of delegations participating in the games. They are not usually divided into professionals and amateurs. The main condition is compliance with the requirements of the program, as well as the presence of a highperforming talent. Persons from 10 to 25 years old can participate in youth games, while there are three age categories in the nominations.
Russian delphiades
A few years after the revival of the World Delphic Games, the Russian Council separated 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 bring together young talents from different parts of our country. At the same time, foreign delegations can also participate in the competitions, and Russian artists, in turn, often participate in the World Delphic Games. Before the games, from late autumn to early spring, qualifying rounds are held first at the district, and then at the municipal, regional and regional levels.
Contests and competitions
Modern delphiades include competitions in almost all types of modern, classical and folk arts. It can be as web design, culinary or hairdressing arts, as well as theater, dance or symphonic music. In total, there are about forty nominations. And since the competitions are held not like the Olympic ones, that is, once every four years, but annually, each time the competitions are held in 20-30 types from the total number of nominations.
Delphic Games: Volgograd 2014
At the beginning of May this year in the hero-city of Volgograd startedcultural project "Delphic Volgograd - 2014". 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 all over the world gathered in the city on the Volga, many of them entered the authoritative jury.
Opening Delfiada-2014
The grand opening of this grand event took place on the central embankment of the city of Volgograd. The Delphic Games gathered about 70,000 spectators, in front of whom the participants of the Delphic Games paraded, and a theatrical performance was shown during the event. According to the established tradition, the guests, members of the jury and the delegation were greeted from the orbit by the International Space Crew. In the same place, in the immediate vicinity of the great Russian river, a fire was lit, and the state flag was raised to the anthem of Russia.
Competition program of the Volgograd Delphic Games
At the 13th Youth Delphic Games prizes were awarded in 29 nominations. 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), appliedart (culinary, hairdressing, design, including web design and other types), folk art crafts and crafts, circus. According to the rules, the 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 treated this cultural holiday, called the "Delphic Games". The winners were, of course, determined by the jury.
Prizes and awards
For five days in Volgograd there were battles between representatives of delegations in various art forms. 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 competitive program, laureates and diplomats were determined. The first received medals as a reward, and the second received diplomas and incentive awards. However, a joyful event awaited the winners in the nomination "Classical guitar": the official partner of the Games, the company "Gibson Guitars", presented the golden winners with acoustic instruments. A national team was formed from the winners to participate in the European and then in the World Delphic Games.
Winners
The first place in terms of the number of prizes won was won by the Moscow team, the second place was taken by the team of the Samara region, the third place -players from Primorsky Krai. The team of the host country, that is, the Volgograd region, also entered the top five.
