What is "dionysia"

Dionysia \Di`o*ny"si*a\, n. pl. [L., fr. Gr. ?.] (Class. Antiq.) Any of the festivals held in honor of the Olympian god Dionysus. They correspond to the Roman Bacchanalia; the greater Dionysia were held at Athens in March or April, and were celebrated with elaborate performances of both tragedies and comedies.

n. The orgiastic Ancient Greek festivals seasonally held in honor of Dionysus, which evolved into Greek comedy and tragedy.

The Dionysia was a large festival in ancient Athens in honor of the god Dionysus, the central events of which were the theatrical performances of dramatic tragedies and, from 487 BC, comedies. It was the second-most important festival after the Panathenaia. The Dionysia actually consisted of two related festivals, the Rural Dionysia and the City Dionysia, which took place in different parts of the year. They were also an essential part of the Dionysian Mysteries.

Dionysia is a genus containing 49 species of flowering plants in the family Primulaceae. They are small, cushion-forming alpines native to mountains in central Asia. They are usually evergreen perennials with felted leaves, covered with bright yellow or pink, five-petalled flowers in spring. They are often difficult to cultivate if the correct conditions are not provided.

Species include:

• Dionysia aretioides
• Dionysia involucrata
• Dionysia michauxii
• Dionysia mozaffarianii
• Dionysia tapetodes
• Dionysia microphylla

D. aretioides has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.