A reference to followers of the Roman god Bacchus (also known in Greece as the god Dionysus), the god of fruitfulness, wine, and ecstasy. As he is the god of ecstasy, a bacchanal is an event filled with drunken festivity and debauchery.
"Midas and Bacchus" by Nicolas Poussin is licensed under Public Domain.
A01 The Blessing Way (01-07) p. 65
Douglas Harper N.d. Bacchanal. Online Etymology Dictionary. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/bacchanal, accessed October 15, 2014.
Tony Hillerman Portal