CEVAP:

At Byzantium, for public entertainment, chariot races were held in place of the more horrible and degrading gladiatorial spectacles that were seen in Rome during earlier days. However, unlike the situation elsewhere, such as in Rome years earlier, here the charioteers represented two rival parties, demes. In the Byzantine era, the term was used to refer to one of four chariot-racing factions, the Reds, the Blues, the Greens, and the Whites.

The two leading demes were labeled the Blues and the Greens. The rivals held opposite views on political, religious, social and economic matters. In general, the Blues tended to represent the aristocratic and orthodox social strata, while the Greens were composed of followers from the less affluent classes and individuals who were heterodox in their religious views.