In ancient Greek religion, worshippers adorned both priests and sacrificial victims with woven garlands of flowers, leaves, or laurel. These wreaths wound around staffs or worn on heads signified the sacred nature of the ritual. When crowds at Lystra mistook Paul and Barnabas for Hermes and Zeus, the priest of Zeus brought garlands to sacrifice to them. The apostles tore their clothes in horror at this blasphemy. The plural form suggests multiple wreaths, indicating preparation for an elaborate public sacrifice. All translations maintain the wreath/garland imagery, essential to understanding the pagan ritual the apostles confronted.