An orgy (όργιον) was a secret cultic congregation at nighttime in Ancient Greek religion, overseen by an orgiophant (a teacher or revealer of secret rites). This article discusses cult in the original and typically ancient sense of "religious practice" (cultus Greek religion encompasses the collection of beliefs and rituals practiced in Ancient Greece in the form of both popular public religion and cult practices. ^[1] In modern parlance an orgy may refer to an event involving group sex. Group sex is Sexual behaviour involving more than two participants at the same time

Etymology

Greek όργιον is cognate with έργον "work, effect, [religious] service" (ultimately cognate to English work itself). The term was lent into English in the 16th century, via the Latinized orgia.

Since the 17th century, due to its connection with Dionysus and the Bacchanalia, the English term orgy could refer to "any licentious revelry", in particular group sex or promiscuity, but the term can also denote other acts which may not include sex. In Classical mythology, Dionysus or Dionysos (in Greek, Διόνυσος or Διώνυσος; associated with Roman The bacchanalia were wild and mystic festivals of the Roman and Greek god Bacchus. Group sex is Sexual behaviour involving more than two participants at the same time Promiscuity refers to sexual behavior of a man or woman who casually has sex with many partners For example an "alcoholic orgy" is an event where people show no restraint in alcohol consumption. This is better known as binge drinking. Binge drinking is drinking certain beverages with the intention of becoming intoxicated

The Greek orgia

An orgion was a secret rite of the Greek Mystery religions, practiced in the worship of Demeter at Eleusis (mentioned in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter) or in worship of Dionysus (Herodotus 2. Mystery Religions, Sacred Mysteries or simply Mysteries, were "religious cults of the Graeco-Roman Demeter (dɨˈmiːtɚ Greek:, possibly "distribution-mother" from the noun of the Indo-European mother-earth * dheghom * mater Elefsina (Ελευσίνα Ancient/ Katharevousa: Eleusis is a town and municipality about 20 km NW of Athens. The thirty-three anonymous Homeric Hymns celebrating individual gods are a collection of ancient Greek Hymns "Homeric" in the sense that they employ the In Classical mythology, Dionysus or Dionysos (in Greek, Διόνυσος or Διώνυσος; associated with Roman Herodotus of Halicarnassus ( Greek: Hēródotos Halikarnāsseús) was a Greek Historian who lived in the 5th century BC ( 484 BC&ndash 81), the Cabeiri, Demeter Achaia (Herodotus 2. In Greek mythology, the Cabeiri, ( Cabiri, Kabeiroi, Greek: Κάβειροι were a group of enigmatic Chthonic deities 51, 5. 61), Orpheus, Eumolpus, or Cybele. Orpheus ( Greek: Ὀρφεύς ˈɔrfiəs ( OHR-fee-uhs) or /ˈɔrfjuːs/ ( OHR'-fews) in English is a figure from Greek mythology born in In Greek mythology, Eumolpus (also Eumolpos) was the son of Poseidon and Chione. Originally a Hittite and Phrygian Goddess, Cybele (Κυβέλη was a deification of the Earth Mother and was worshipped in

The term could also refer to rites or sacrifices in general, the verb ὀργιάζω denoting ritual celebration.

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