WORLD HISTORY 1 -- Mr. Joyce

Daphnephoria, a festival held every ninth year at Thebes in honour of Apollo, the Greek god of youth and wisdom.

It consisted of a procession in which the chief figure was a boy of good family and noble appearance, whose father and mother must be alive. Immediately in front of this boy, who was called Daphnephoros (laurel bearer), walked a man representing the god Apollo, and one of the boy's nearest relatives, carrying an olive branch hung with laurel and flowers and having on the upper end a bronze ball from which hung several smaller balls. Another smaller ball was placed on the middle of the branch or pole, which was then twined round with purple ribbons, and at the lower end with saffron ribbons. These balls were said to indicate the sun, stars and moon, while the ribbons referred to the days of the year, being 365 in number.