In origine erano dedicate a Carneo, un antico dio dei Dori che poi venne identificato con Apollo.
Le celebrazioni duravano nove giorni verso la fine dell'estate, durante il mese chiamato Carneio.
The Carnee festivities were in honor of Apollo, celebrated in Sparta.
Originally they were dedicated to Carneo, an ancient god of the Dorians who was then identified with Apollo.
The celebrations lasted nine days towards the end of the summer, during the month called Carneio.
La cerimonia più importante era una corsa nella qule alcuni giovani, tenendo in mano rami di vite, rincorrevano un uomo adorno di ghirlande: se riuscivano a prenderlo, la città avrebbe goduto di un anno fortunato, altrimenti no.
The most important ceremony was a race in which some young men, holding branches of vines, chased a man adorned with garlands: if they could get him, the city would have enjoyed a lucky year, otherwise not.
Durante le feste si svolgevano anche gare di musica e di danza, come raffigurato in questo piatto, copia della scena dipinta su un cratere conservato al museo archeologico di Taranto che, essendo una colonia di Sparta, ne condivideva le usanze.
During the festivities there were also music and dance competitions, as shown in this plate, a copy of the scene painted on a crater preserved in the archaeological museum of Taranto, which, being a colony of Sparta, shared its customs.
During Carnee the war activities were suspended and it was for this reason that, in the first Persian war, the Spartans arrived late to the Battle of Marathon and then participated in the second Persian war with only 300 warriors, those who, led by King Leonidas, fought at Thermopylae
