Supreme Council of Ethnikoi Hellenes
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| See also: | |
| Decline of Hellenistic polytheism Hellenic Polytheistic Reconstructionism Supreme Council of Ethnikoi Hellenes |
The Supreme Council of Ethnikoi Hellenes (Ύπατο Συμβούλιο των Ελλήνων Εθνικών), commonly known as YSEE, is an umbrella organisation in Greece established in 1997 to defend and restore the ethnic, polytheistic, Hellenic tradition, religion and way in contemporary Greek society. The organization arose from the union of several other independent groups of Hellenic revivalism. Since their founding, YSEE has distributed over 200 letters of protest and press releases aimed at increasing religious freedom for Ethnikoi Hellenes in Greece and hosted over 200 educational events.[1]
It is estimated that perhaps 2,000 Greeks practice in the ethnic Hellenic tradition and another 100,000 have "some sort of interest".[2] These Ethnikoi Hellenes face varying degrees of discrimination in Greece,[3][4][5] which is overwhelmingly Orthodox Christian.[6] One of YSEE's main goals is to obtain legal recognition for their religion, which is not acknowledged as a "legal person of public law" in Greece. One consequence of this lack of legal recognition is that Ethnikoi Hellenes have been prevented from establishing permanent places of worship. Greek courts have recently unbanned the worship of polytheistic gods.[3]
YSEE is a founding member of the World Congress of Ethnic Religions and hosted the seventh annual WCER Congress in June 2004. YSEE is also a member of the European Union's action programme to combat discrimination.
In addition to their political activities, YSEE regularly holds traditional Hellenic rituals and ceremonies, including an annual Prometheia festival at Mount Olympus. About 2500 people attended the Prometheia in 2005, making it easily the largest such gathering in the modern world.[7] The festival includes talks on philosophical and religious topics, theatrical and artistic displays, and religious rituals and namegiving ceremonies.
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[edit] Outside of Greece
The Supreme Council of Ethnikoi Hellenes has formed chapters is the United States, Australia, Canada, and Germany, offering lectures, events, and support for practitioners of the Hellenic religion outside of Greece.
[edit] See also
- Polytheistic reconstructionism
- Hellenic Polytheistic Reconstructionism
- Religion in modern Greece
- Separation of church and state in modern Greece
- World Congress of Ethnic Religions
[edit] External links
- YSEE homepage (English version)
- About YSEE from the WCER website
- MSNBC clips featuring YSEE members
- Wojciech Jan Rudny interviews YSEE on behalf of the polish «GNIAZDO» magazine
[edit] Notes
- ^ "YSEE". http://www.wcer.org/members/europe/greece/index.htm. Retrieved on 2007-11-26.
- ^ "Letter From Greece: The Gods Return to Olympus". http://www.archaeology.org/0501/abstracts/letter.html. Retrieved on 2007-11-26.
- ^ a b "Greek gods prepare for comeback". http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1767802,00.html. Retrieved on 2007-11-26.
- ^ "International Religious Freedom Report 2004". http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2004/35458.htm. Retrieved on 2007-11-26.
- ^ "International Religious Freedom Report 2005". http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2005/51555.htm. Retrieved on 2007-11-26.
- ^ "Greece". https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gr.html#People. Retrieved on 2007-11-26.
- ^ "Προμήθεια «2005»" (in Greek). http://www.ysee.gr/index.php?type=d&f=prometheia2005. Retrieved on 2007-11-26.
[edit] References
- A Beginner's Guide to Hellenismos (2007) by Timothy Jay Alexander ISBN 978-1-4303-2456-0 (Page 16)
- The Pagan Man: Priests, Warriors, Hunters, and Drummers (2006) by Isaac Bonewits ISBN 978-0-8065-2697-3 (Page 32)
- Hellenismos Today (2007) by Timothy Jay Alexander ISBN 978-1-4303-1427-1 (Page 20)
- The Gods of Reason: An Authentic Theology for Modern Hellenismos (2007) by Timothy Jay Alexander ISBN 978-1-4303-2763-9 (Page 25)
