First Delphic Festival

The 1927 First Delphic Festival was held on May 9 and 10, 1927 at the initiative of Angelos and Eva Sikelianos, and consisted of a series of events in the archaeological site of Delphi.

[1] The Delphic Festival was inspired by the ideals adopted by Sikelianos and Eva Palmer, focusing on the solidarity of people all over the world and of mutual respect.

The Sikelianos couple believed that Delphi could actually serve as a focal point for this global understanding, due to the Amphictyony which had been established there for centuries.

At 4 p.m. the signal to the visitors to gather in the ancient theater was given by someone standing at the top of the Phaedriades, so that the three main events of the first day could follow: the hymn to Apollo would be performed by the choir and orchestra (as an opening act), the tragedy Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound would be presented and, finally, Angelos Sikelianos, the founder of the Festival, would speak to the public for the purpose of the Delphic Organization in antiquity and today.

[1][3][4][5] The second day started with a morning visit to the Delphi Artisan Fair, where Eva Sikelianos talked about the importance of folk art and about the value of the work on the loom, of which she was particularly fond.