What are Mystery Religions?

Mystery religions, in the strictest sense, were cult religions that existed in ancient Greece and then in ancient Rome almost three thousand years ago. These are also called sacred mysteries or mysteries. The activities of these religious groups were performed in secrecy, hence the name of these religions. A secret is passed to the initiates during their initiation. The core beliefs, traditions, the true nature and practices of these religions are not revealed to outsiders. Only the members and initiates of these groups are allowed to participate in these said activities. Mystery religions are still in existence today, with Santeria, Scientology and Voodoo as example. Some scholars also argue that Christianity, in its essence, is a mystery religion.

The most famous of all the ancient mystery religions is the Eleusinian Mysteries, which was believed to have begun about 1200 BC. This religion worshipped Demeter, the Greek goddess of harvest, and Persephone, daughter of Demeter and the queen of the underworld. Every year, initiation ceremonies were performed at Eleusis. This festivity is considered by many scholars as the most important ceremony celebrated in ancient Greece. These activities celebrate the annual return of Persephone to the earth, which signals the start of the planting season.

Another famous mystery religion is the Dionysian mysteries which were celebrated in honor of Dionysus, the god of wine. These were celebrated in ancient Greece and then passed it on to the ancient Romans which called it the Bacchanalia. These celebrations were characterized by periods of drunkenness and intakes of other trance-inducing chemicals. Sexual activities were also common during these festivities. Inhibitions observed by society and constraints imposed on its citizens were not observed and most often people of all classes celebrate together.

The ceremonies and rites were kept secret between the initiate and the members as the initiation is considered to unite the worshipper and the gods. Promises of rewards in the afterlife and divine powers were made during the initiation ceremony with the help of psychedelic agents, as some scholars believe. Through these agents, strange visions of the afterlife are conjured. As only the members of these religions know the exact rites performed at the ceremony, most of it was not put into writing. Paintings and potteries though, depict some scenes of the mysteries.

Mystery religions in the ancient times were characterized by its confinement to certain localities and were considered as novel activities. This began to change when in about 100 AD, they began to spread throughout the Roman Empire and attained a widespread influence among its population. Because of limited communication and the relative vastness of the empire, these religions underwent drastic changes that resulted from cults absorbing elements from others. Combinations of these mysteries then started to appear which was totally different from the original. As the mystery religions continue to spread throughout the empire, practices that were against societal norms were then removed from the ceremonies. This resulted in more acceptance of the general population and the decline of the mysteries.