Dionysus, or Bacchus
Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia
(2 Macc. 6:7) — the pagan god of wine; according to Homer, simply a raging god, and moreover “the delight of mortals”; later he was regarded as the god of fertility, of civilization, and of happiness. In honor of Dionysus, or Bacchus, various festivals were instituted (bacchanalia), accompanied by disorderly conduct, drunkenness, debauchery, and the like. It was precisely these festivals that were introduced, and forced, among the Jews in the days of Antiochus Epiphanes, compelling them to take part in solemn processions in honor of Dionysus, wearing wreaths of ivy on their heads (ivy, like the grapevine and other plants, was considered sacred to Dionysus).