Editing Hellenism (modern religion) (section)

==Organizations in Greece and demographics==

[[File:Hellen ritual (2).jpg|thumb|Ritual performed by members of the [[Supreme Council of Ethnikoi Hellenes]]]]

Ancient Greek religion originated in and is practiced in [[Greece]] and has inspired religious worship in other countries. Leaders of the movement claimed in 2005 that there are as many as 2,000 adherents to the Hellenic tradition in Greece, with an additional 100,000 who have "some sort of interest".<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.archaeology.org/0501/abstracts/letter.html |last=Brunwasser |first=M. |title=Letter From Greece: The Gods Return to Olympus |journal=Archaeology |year=2005 |volume=58 |issue=1 |access-date=2014-06-10}}</ref> No official estimates exist for devotees worldwide. Outside Greece, religious organizations began to emerge around 1998, with some individuals claiming to have been engaging in some form of traditional practice since the 1970s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thehouseofvines.com/2013/03/25/theres-a-reason-why-zeus-is-king-of-the-gods-and-hermes-isnt/ |title=There's a reason why Zeus is king of the gods and Hermes isn't |work=The House of Vines |access-date=20 April 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402095823/http://thehouseofvines.com/2013/03/25/theres-a-reason-why-zeus-is-king-of-the-gods-and-hermes-isnt/ |archive-date=2 April 2015}}</ref>

[[File:YSEE Hellenic priest (reading).png|thumb|left|Hellenic priest performing ritual]]

The first Greek organization to openly support the religious revival of Hellenic religion was {{lang|grc|Ύπατο Συμβούλιο των Ελλήνων Εθνικών}} ([[Supreme Council of Ethnikoi Hellenes]] or YSEE), established in 1997,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ysee.gr/index-eng.php |title=Supreme Council of Ethnikoi Hellenes |publisher=Ysee.gr |access-date=2014-06-10}}</ref> and is publicly active. YSEE is a founding member of the [[World Congress of Ethnic Religions]] (now [[European Congress of Ethnic Religions]]) and hosted the seventh annual WCER Congress in June 2004.<ref>[http://www.ysee.gr/ YSEE website].</ref> With branches also in the United States, Canada, Australia, and Germany, their level of real world public activity, and actual membership levels, the [[Supreme Council of Ethnikoi Hellenes]] can be argued to be the defining lead organization for the public revival movement. YSEE is also a member of the [[European Union]]'s action program to combat discrimination. The organization primarily refers to the religion as the "Ethnic Polytheistic" or "genuine Hellenism"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ysee.gr/index-eng.php?type=english&f=organosi |title=The organizational and operating structure of the YSEE |publisher=Ysee.gr |access-date=2014-06-10}}</ref> and its practitioners as ''Ethnikoi Hellenes'', "Ethnic [National] Hellenes". YSEE uses the terms "traditional", "ethnic", and "genuine" to refer to their religious practices. Hellenic polytheist author [[Vlassis G. Rassias]] has written a popular series of books on "Christian persecutions against the Hellenes", while the Athens-based group ''[[Ellinais]]'' emphasizes "world peace and the brotherhood of man".<ref>{{cite news | last =Ayiomamitis| first =Paris| title =Modern Pagans Honor Zeus in Athens| agency =Associated Press|date=21 January 2007 | url =https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2811383&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312| access-date =1 February 2007 }}</ref>

Another active organization based in Greece, the {{Lang|el-Latn|Labrys}} ({{Lang|el|Λαβρύς}}, {{IPA|el|lavˈris|}}) religious community was founded in 2008. Labrys has focused primarily on the religious aspects of Hellenism or Hellenic polytheism, avoiding anti-Christian rhetoric and politics, establishing weekly public rituals<ref>{{cite web |url=http://labrys.gr/index.php?l=ilioditi |title=Heliodete weekly ritual |publisher=Labrys.gr |access-date=2014-06-10 |archive-date=4 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140704235231/http://www.labrys.gr/index.php?l=ilioditi |url-status=dead }}</ref> and engaging in other aspects of practical promotion of polytheism like theater and music.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dionysia.labrys.gr/index2014.php |title=Attica Dionysia festival 2014 |publisher=Dionysia.labrys.gr |access-date=2015-04-18}}</ref> Labrys has also promoted among Hellenes worldwide the need to actively practice household worship and the idea that family and community should be the starting points of religious practice.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://labrys.gr/index-en.php?l=oikiaki_latreia-en |title=Hellenic Household Worship |publisher=Labrys.gr |access-date=2014-06-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017184000/http://labrys.gr/index-en.php?l=oikiaki_latreia-en |archive-date=2013-10-17 }}</ref> The community has been organizing since 2008 the largest festival in Athens and also actively participates and supports the religious aspects of the oldest Hellenic festival in Greece, Prometheia<ref>{{cite web|url=http://prometheia.wordpress.com/ |title=Prometheia |publisher=Prometheia.wordpress.com |access-date=2014-06-10}}</ref>{{user-generated inline|date=August 2023}} which is held every year on Mount Olympus. The Labrys religious community has published a book.<ref>{{cite book |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Hellenic Polytheism: Household Worship |publisher=Createspace |date=20 November 2014 |isbn=9781503121881 }}</ref>