The Delphic Games of the modern era involve presentations, exhibitions, competitions and other activities in six different fields of art.[1] These games unite people of all nations and cultures through their fascination for the arts and have their origins in the ancient Greece.
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One of the four Panhellenic Games were the Pythian Games in Delphi. They held every four years, always one year prior to the ancient Olympic Games. The spiritual leaders have formed the Delphic Games to perform what they can, such as wonders, theatre, music, poetry to praise the god Apollo of wonderful light, the symbol of the Oracle.[2] In the year 394 A.D., Theodosius I, the emperor of the Byzantine Empire banned all Panhellenic Games for being pagan events.
Since 1912 till 1948, thanks to the initiative of Pierre de Coubertin Art competitions at the Olympic Games were held in various countries. Medals were awarded for works that are related solely to issues of Sport.[3]
There was also an attempt to revive Pythian Games at the archeological site of Delphi, thanks to the initiative by the Greek poet Angelos Sikelianos [4] and his wife Eva Palmer. In 1927, the first Delphic Festival was held in one country only - Greece, but the revival was then abandoned due to the excessive costs of organizing it. Nowadays there are once a year in summer in Delphi the Delphic Festivals, mainly focused on tourists.[5]
In the second half of the 20th century, the International Delphic Movement developed. In 1987 the Musica Magna International (MMI) was founded - as a network of international cultural contacts and as «Association for the reintroduction of the Delphic Games».[6][7][8] At the invitation of J. Christian B. Kirsch - the founder of MMI, in 1994, a hundred years after the revival of the Olympic Games, representatives from Argentina, Austria, China, Cyprus, Ecuador, France, Germany, Greece, Kazakhstan, Libya, Lithuania, Mexico, Nigeria, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, United States came together to the founding congress of the International Delphic Council in Berlin in Schönhausen Palace.[9][10] The Delphic Games of modern era promote the dialogue between all cultures, they contribute to intercultural understanding among people and support the international peace.[11][12]
This initiative has received many letters of support from all over the world, for example, from Yehudi Menuhin,[13] from Elena Obraztsova[14] and so on.[15][16]
National Delphic Council of Georgia (established 1996) together with the IDC conducted the first Junior Delphic Games (Tbilisi-1997) with the support-letter from UNESCO[17] from the Council of Europe[18] from the Parliament of Georgia.[19]
The first Delphic Games (Moscow-2000) were organized by the National Delphic Council of Russia, that since 1999 was a member of the IDC.[20] Together with the IDC has NDC Russia received the support-letter from the Council of Europe.[21] So like it was also in other Delphic Games.[22][23][24]
From the beginning Russia played an active role in the formation of the International Delphic Movement.[25]
In 2003, the International Delphic Council receives strong support from government agencies in Moscow and St. Petersburg, but the National Delphic Council of Russia (which was a member of the IDC since 1999) on the contrary separates self from IDC.
After 2003, many Russian websites and central mass media claimed that Russia alone has revived the Delphic idea in 2000.[26][27]
Despite the withdrawal of the National Delphic Council from the International Delphic Council, the Russian delegations took part in the International Delphic Games in 2007 and 2009.[28][29][30] The illustrated Delphic calendars verify these participations.[31][32]
Currently, the two organizations are conducting Delphic Games.
The International Delphic Council, founded in 1994 in Berlin, with its head office in Berlin, organized and accomplished since 1997 International Youth Delphic Games in Georgia, Germany and the Philippines, as well as International Delphic Games for adult participants - in Russia, Malaysia, South Korea.[12][33]
The new organization - International Delphic Committee with headquarters in Moscow opened its official website in May 2006.[34] Since 2005 the Junior Delphic Games in Russia and the Junior Delphic Games in Commonwealth of Independent States are conducted by the International Delphic Committee. These Junior Delphic Games are dedicated to significant domestic events.[35][36] This International Delphic Committee conducted also in September 2008 the second International Delphic Games in Saratov / Russia, but their legitimacy has been called into question.[37][38]