Cronia

• a festival of Saturn, celebrated in Greece, and especially at Athens, Att. ap. Macr. S. 1, 7, 37.

CRO´NIA(κρόνια), a festival celebrated at Athens in honour of Cronos, whose worship was said to have been introduced into Attica by Cecrops. He had a temple in common with Rhea. (Paus. 1.18.7; comp. 6.20.1.) The festival was held on the twelfth of the month of Hecatombaeon (Demosth. c. Timocr. p. 708.26; Plut. Thes. 12; Etym. M. s. v.), which, at an early period of the history of Attica, bore the name of μὴν Κρονίων. (Athen. 13. p. 581; comp. A. Mommsen, Heortologie, p. 108, &c.)

The Rhodians also celebrated a festival in honour of Cronos--perhaps the Phoenician Moloch--to whom human sacrifices, generally consisting of criminals, were offered. The festival was held on the sixteenth of Metageitnion. (Porphyr. de Abstinent. 2.54.)

Greek writers, when speaking of the Roman Saturnalia. apply to them the name Κρόνια, which in the early times seem to have really resembled them in their excessive merriment. (See Athen. 14. p. 639; Appian, Samn. 10.5; Buttmann, Mythol. vol. 2. p. 52, &c.)

(τὰ Κρόνια). A festival celebrated in Athens, and also at Rhodes, in honour of Cronus (q.v.). Greek writers apply the same name to the Roman Saturnalia (q.v.), which the Cronia seems to have resembled.