Time of Dionysus

I find this painting mesmerizing. A Maenad having a drink, before the ritualistic, flesh tearing frenzy for the sake of Dionysus (Greek God, born on Dec. 25th).

It is told that acolytes, initiates dance while wine gushes forth from the Earth. The women wrap themselves with snakes, impervious to harm the serpents lick the sweat off their cheeks. Among them fawns, bulls let loose, and the animals are ravaged and devoured raw, their blood sucked. Rose petals everywhere, thorns kept to prick the exhausted into life. And together they pray that Dionysus would come, and press his body upon them as they take their first breaths of winter...

Maybe this explains why everyone feels like partying this time of the year. As much as Christianity has made it mainstream today, the Greeks seemed to have more "fun" this time of the year. I guess my point is that nothing is as simple as it seems at surface.