The Gymnopaedia, in ancient Sparta, was a yearly celebration during which naked youths displayed their athletic and martial skills through the medium of war dancing. The custom was introduced in 668 BC, concurrently with the introduction of naked athletics. , the type of dance most likely danced on Gymnopedia festivals.
Etymology
The word derives from the ancient Greek Γυμνοπαιδίαι, composed ofthe words γυμνός and παιδιά "paedia" from παῖς. In Greek the plural form, Γυμνοπαιδίαι, appears most often. In addition to gymnopaedia, modern transliterations and adaptations include gymnopaidiai, gymnopaidiae, gymnopedia, gymnopaedie, and gymnopédie.
The word Gymnopaedia appears in texts of Herodotus, and several authors in the Attic and Koine Greek periods. The festival, dedicated to Apollo, was celebrated every year in the summertime with gymnastic contests. The festival lasted for several, perhaps for ten days. The statues of Apollo, Artemis and Leto stood in a part of the Agora, and it was around these statues that the Spartan youths, both boys and girls, performed their choruses and dances in the honour of Apollo. On the last day grown men also performed choruses and dances in the theatre, and during these gymnastic exhibitions they sang the songs. Though gymnopaedia typically has close links to childhood rites of passage, it was also an important rite of passage for all Spartans, including those aged between twenty and thirty. The main way in which the eiren were involved in the Gymnopaedia was through ball playing and the participants were known as sphaireis, or ball-players. The ball playing consisted of the players attempting to hit each other with a ball. This rite was conducted in the theatre. In addition, some features of the Gymnopaedia combined the ball playing with boxing. Therefore, this rite of passage was designed to improve their endurance, strength and combat skills. The Gymnopaedia was a polis event and religious festival, which involved the entire society, including girls and women. In addition to the military aspects, the festival also consisted of several dances conducted by different genders, as well as at different ages. Girls would perform in dances together as this would encourage socialisation and loyalty. There is evidence of young men and women taking part in dances together. This festival was also an opportunity for youths to scout out potential marriage partners as they demonstrated their physicality and fitness to each other. It has been suggested that the dances were based on military movements with a strict structure, which in turn led to the Spartan women developing a greater physical prowess and agility. Another significant aspect of the gymnopaedia was the nudity. While nudity was not common in Sparta, it did occur in relation to specific cults and rituals. The main reason for this nudity was that the lack of identifying clothing that in turn led to the lack of rank. Therefore a sense of uniformity was created for all participants as well as a sense of loyalty to Spartan society. Plato praises gymnopaedia-like exercises and performances in The Laws as a medium of education: by dancing in the summer heat, Spartan youth were trained in both musical grace and warrior grit simultaneously. The boys in their dances performed rhythmic movements that resembled the exercises of the palaestra and the pancration, and also imitated the dance of tragedy. The Gymnopaedia was also held in memory of Sparta's defeat by Argos at Hysiai in 669 or 668 BC. By recognizing their defeat, the Spartans hoped to appease the gods and prevent future defeats. During the festive days, those Spartans who had fallen on that occasion were always praised in songs at this festival. The military style of dancing reinforces the emphasis on military success in Spartan society. The whole season of the gymnopaediae, during which Sparta was visited by great numbers of strangers, was one of great merriment and rejoicings. While for the earliest of these authors the meaning of Gymnopaedia appears predominantly as a festival, in later antiquity gymnopaedia refers to a specific dance.
Eight centuries after the first gymnopaedia, the festival survived in Lacedaemonia into the Roman era. According to Lucian of Samosata's dialogueOf Pantomime, it retained some connection to martial arts, as the youths would engage in gymnopaedia immediately after their daily military training. On the other hand, he describes the gymnopaedia as "yet another dance", neither involving nudity nor exclusivity for men.
