Bacchanals

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A sequence of festive occasions that celebrate uninhibited joy and excitement, often accompanied by music and dance
2. Gatherings centered around wild celebration and indulgence in pleasure, typically featuring merriment and drink
3. Social events characterized by unrestrained revelry and ecstatic enjoyment, usually filled with music, drink, and dance

Etymology: "Bacchanals" is the plural of "bacchanal," which in English can mean a drunken festivity or, as a noun in its own right, a participant in one. The base word comes from Latin "Bacchānālis," meaning "of or pertaining to Bacchus," the Roman god of wine and revelry, whom the Greeks knew as Dionysus. The Latin adjective was built on the god's name, so the English word began life as a plain description of anything belonging to his worship. The Romans had a formal name for those rites, "Bacchanalia," and the adjective grew out of it. Ancient festivals honouring Bacchus were famous for ecstatic dancing, music and wine, and the Romans' reputation for scandal around them gave the word its lasting flavour of unrestrained excess. Over time, the English term shed its religious associations and came to mean any riotous party where the drinking and merriment ran far beyond what was proper.

Synonyms: festivities, celebrations, parties, revelries, gatherings