In the world of ancient Greece, cults were a common thing centered around a god or goddess of which they, the people worshipped, they were located in temples of the god or goddess they worshiped, one such goddess was Hera, the goddess of marriage. Her temples were located in Argos, Sparta, and many other places across ancient Greece. She has a large number of followers because she is the goddess of marriage and because marriage is a big part of Greek social life, particularly that of the Greek women in the polis. In places like Argos and Samos, where she was worshipped as a protector of cities, a festival called the Heraia festival took place in her honor and they all had one thing in common, marriage.
About Hera
Hera was the goddess of marriage and women, she was also seen as the earth-goddess the daughter of the titan Kronos, sister, and wife to the god of thunder and king of the gods, Zeus, mother of Ares(god of war), Eileithyia(goddess of childbirth and midwifery), and Hebe(cupbearer of the gods). (Hesiod, Theogony 921-923) Her favorite cities were Argos, Sparta, and Mycenae. (Motte A., Pierrenne-Delforge V. (1996) Hera. In O.C.D.) In Greek Mythology, Hera is depicted as the jealous wife and mother that will punish and avenge the sexual escapades of her dear husband acting with severity since she is a wife, a queen, a mother and she is the goddess marriage. Out of the many places where her temples were located, Argos was a special center of her worship where she was worshiped not only as the earth-goddess but as the goddess of women, marriage, and childbirth, things she shares many other goddesses. (Morford, M., Classical Mythology 120-121)
Hera’s Cults
Cults that worshipped Hera were located all over ancient Greece, the most important temples and sanctuaries devoted to her were located in Argos, Sparta, Mycenae, Perachora, Tiryns, and on the island of Samos. In Argos, the temple of Hera had a large statue made of gold and ivory of the goddess inside, and on coins within the temple, the faces on the coins resembled the statue. Hera was a part of daily life in Argos, with her face being carried all over town by ancient Greek.
Festivals
In cities like Attica, Olympia, and Plataia, festivals were held to honor the goddess, all these festivals had at a relation to marriage. According to accounts from Pausanias(5.16, 2-8), various rituals were performed by women at the festival of Hera in Olympia. The games were established by Hippodameia as a thank-offering to Hera on the occasion of her marriage. Sixteen women cult officials took charge of the women’s games, they were tasked with organizing races for female competitors, who were all parthenoi, ran foot races in the stadium. The competitors were divided into three age groups, then the winner of each class received an olive crown and a portion of the ox which was sacrificed to Hera. Since the races were divided into age groups, it suggests that the races were a right of passage into adulthood. The youngest group of girls were small children, the second group consisted of girls who were not old enough yet to be married and the third group was comprised of girls who were of marriageable age.
References
Blundell, S., Williamson, M., & Williamson**Nfa***, M. (Eds.). (1998). The sacred and the feminine in ancient greece. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com
Elderkin G.W. (1937) The marriage of Zeus and Hera and its Symbols Archaeological Institute of America
Hesiod, Theogony 921-3
Morford M., Lenardon R.J., Sham M. (2014). Classical Mythology New York, NY Oxford University Press
Motte A., Pierrenne-Delforge V. (1996) Hera. In O.C.D. Retrieved on November 28th, 2018
Ogden D. (2007) A companion to Greek Religion Blackwell Publishing
Waldstein H. (1901) The Argive Hera of Polycleitus The society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies
Women in Antiquity 
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