The cult of Artemis Laphria in Patras was a grand and cruel spectacle. In preparation for the festival, they encircled the altar with logs of wood that was still green. They also piled earth upon the altar steps to construct a smooth ascent. The actual festival began with a procession in honor of the goddess. The officiating priestess (who is always a maiden) rode last in the procession on a chariot yoked to deer. The next day, which was a general holiday, the people came to the altar and threw alive upon it edible birds, wild boars, deer, gazelles, wolf-cubs, bear-cubs, or even the full grown animals. They added the fruits of cultivated trees and set the wood on fire. The animals tried to escape but the people always caught them and threw them back to the pyre.