ANCIENT EGYPT

Lifelong Learning class

Ancient Egyptian Festivals1
World History text
adapted by Douglas Kenning

The Egyptians observed national and

local festivals annually. There were
many such celebrations but those listed below are among the most important and
best-documented. In some cases, the details of what went on at these gatherings have
been lost, but for many, they are known in great detail. The festivals marked the
progression of the year, notched on the staff of time by Thoth, and the year would end in
the same celebration with which it had begun; thus emphasizing the cyclical, eternal,
nature of life. Festivals drew people closer to the divine, brought the past and present
together, and paved the path for the future, or just provided opportunities for people to
bond in community.

Wepet-Renpet Festival: The Opening of the Year - This was the New Year's Day
celebration in ancient Egypt. The festival was a kind of moveable feast as it depended on
the inundation of the Nile River. It celebrated the
death and rebirth of Osiris, and by extension, the
rejuvenation and rebirth of the land and the people.
It is firmly attested to as initiating in the latter part
of the Old Kingdom of Egypt (c. 2613 - c. 3150
BCE) and is clear evidence of the popularity of the
Osiris cult at that time.
Feasting and drinking were a part of this festival, as
they were for most, and the celebration would last for days; the length varied depending
on the time period. Solemn rituals related to the death of Osiris were observed as well as
singing and dancing to celebrate his rebirth. The call-and-response poem known as The
Lamentations of Isis and Nephthys was recited at the beginning to call Osiris to his feast.

Wag Festival: Dedicated to the death of Osiris

and honoring the souls of the deceased on their
journey in the afterlife. This festival followed the
Wepet-Renpet, but its date changed according to
the lunar calendar. It is one of the oldest festivals
celebrated by the Egyptians and, like
1
adapted by Douglas Kenning from https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1032/festivals-in-ancient-egypt/ &
https://egyptfuntours.com/travel-info/ancient-egyptian-festivals/.
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Wepet-Renpet, first appears in the Old Kingdom. During this festival, people would
make small boats out of paper and set them toward the west on graves to indicate Osiris'
death and people would float shrines of paper on the waters of the Nile for the same
reason.

Wag and Thoth Festival: A combining of the Wag Festival with the birth of the god
Thoth and centered on rejuvenation and rebirth. This festival was a set date on the 18th
day of the first month of the year. Thoth was worshiped as the god of writing, wisdom,
and knowledge - among other attributes - and associated with the judgment of the dead
by Osiris, thus linking the two gods. Thoth's birth and Osiris' rebirth were joined in this
festival from the latter part of the Old Kingdom onwards.

Tekh Festival: The Feast of Drunkenness: This festival was dedicated to Hathor ('The
Lady of Drunkenness') and commemorated the time when humanity was saved from
destruction by beer. According to the story, Ra had become weary of people's endless
cruelty and nonsense and so sent Sekhmet to destroy them. She took to her task with
enthusiasm, tearing people apart and drinking their blood. Ra is satisfied with the
destruction until the other gods point out to him that, if he wanted to teach people a
lesson, he should stop the destruction before no one was left to learn from it. Ra then
orders the goddess of beer, Tenenet, to dye a large quantity of the brew red and has it
delivered to Dendera, right in Sekhmet's path of destruction. She finds it and, thinking it
is blood, drinks it all, falls asleep, and wakes up as the gentle and beneficent Hathor.
According to Egyptologist Carolyn Graves-Brown, the festival began in the
Middle Kingdom (2040-1782 BCE), was most popular in the early New Kingdom (c.
1570-1069 BCE), fell out of favor, and was then revived in Roman Egypt.
Graves-Brown describes the central part of the festival as depicted on a 'Porch of
Drunkenness' in the Temple of Mut at Karnak: "It seems that in the Hall of Drunkenness,
worshippers got drunk, slept, and then were woken by drummers to commune with the
goddess Mut [who was closely linked with Hathor]" (169). Participants would lessen
their inhibitions and preconceptions through alcohol and experience the goddess
intimately upon waking to the sacred drums.

Opet Festival: At the second month of the

Egyptian calendar, the Opet festival took place in
Akhet. It is the most significant festival in
Egyptian history, and it is also the longest
celebration in the Theban festival calendar,
growing from 11 to 15 to 20 days by the Middle
Kingdom. During this festival, the priests would
first wash and dress the statue of Amun and then
carry it out of the temple and through the streets of
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Thebes which were lined with people waiting to see the god. The statue was then
transported to Luxor, by foot in earlier times, and later on a barge. Once at the temple of
Luxor, he would be married to the goddess Mut in a holy ceremony. After the divine
wedding, the couple would return from Luxor Temple to Karnak Temple, where priests
announce the birth of the newly born deity Khonsu to the people. The king would enter
the presence of the god in the inner sanctum and emerge forgiven of sins and
rejuvenated to continue his reign.
As at other festivals, the state supplied the people with food and drink,
distributing bread, sweets, and beer while the crowds waited their turn to ask the god a
question. The statue of Amun would answer these questions through the agency of the
priests who would either interpret the god's answer or 'tip' the statue one way or another
to indicate a positive or negative response.

Hathor Festival:
It all started on the 18th of the tenth month, Paoni, when the figure of Hathor Goddess
was removed from her sanctuary at Dendera to sail upriver to Horus’ temple at Edfu.
She and her disciples arrived in Edfu on the new moon day at the end of summer. Horus
left his temple and greeted his spouse on
the seas at the anniversary of his victory
against Seth. The heavenly couple arrived
at the temple at the Opening of the Mouth
and the Offering of the First Fruits. This
odd mix of funeral and harvest rites is
presumably due to Horus’ connection with
Osiris, the deity of both. They spent the
night in the Birth House. The next day’s celebrations were different. The Festival of
Behdet consisted of ceremonies to assure the people of Horus’ reign and full authority.
Visits to the necropolis and memorial services were among the events. It was said that
Horus the Behdetite had retaken the Upper and Lower Egyptian crowns by sacrificing an
animal and a goat. “Praise to you, Ra, praises to you, Khepri, in all these lovely names. I
saw you slain the monster and ascended beautifully.” His adversaries were
metaphorically stomped underfoot, and their names were written on papyrus for
everyone to see. After the enemy was defeated, the celebrants enjoyed a night of delight.
Assumedly, this element of the ceremony was a signal to the priests, priestesses, king,
queen, and most commoners to do the same. One of the main motivations for the
celebration was presumably for mortals to “drink before the god” and “spend the night
gaily.” After two weeks of fun and games, Hathor Goddess returned to Dendera.

Held annually at Dendera, the main site of Hathor's cult, this festival celebrated the birth
of the goddess and her many blessings. It was similar to the Tekh Festival in many
aspects. This festival dates from the Old Kingdom and was among the most anticipated.
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The cult of Hathor was extremely popular and, just as with the festival for Neith, the
celebration was well-attended wherever it was held. As with the Tekh Festival,
participants were encouraged to over-indulge in alcohol while engaging in singing and
dancing in honor of the goddess. There may also have been a sexual component to the
celebration similar to the Tekh Festival, but this interpretation, while not at all
inconsistent or incredible, is not universally accepted.

Sokar Festival/Festival of Khoiak: Sokar was an agricultural god in the Early Dynastic
Period in Egypt (c. 3150 - c. 2613 BCE) whose characteristics were later taken on by
Osiris. In the Old Kingdom, the Sokar Festival was merged with the solemn Khoiak
Festival of Osiris which observed his death. It was a very somber affair in its early form
but grew to include Osiris' resurrection as well and was celebrated in the Late Period of
Ancient Egypt (525-332 BCE) for almost a month. People planted Osiris Gardens and
crops during the celebrations which honored the god as the plants sprung from the earth,
commemorating Osiris' rebirth from the dead. The planting of crops during the festival
no doubt dates back to the early worship of Sokar.

Bast Festival: This was the celebration of the goddess Bastet at her cult center of
Bubastis and another very popular festival. It honored the birth of the cat goddess Bastet
who was the guardian of hearth and home and protector of women, children, and
women's secrets. Herodotus claims that Bastet's festival was the most elaborate and
popular in Egypt. Egyptologist Geraldine Pinch, citing Herodotus, claims, "women were
freed from all constraints during the annual festival at Bubastis. They celebrated the
festival of the goddess by drinking, dancing, making music, and displaying their
genitals" (116). This "raising of the skirts" by the women, described by Herodotus,
exemplified the freedom from normal constraints often observed at festivals but, in this
case, also had to do with fertility.
[pic: Bastet]
Herodotus places the number of attendees at the festival as over seven hundred
thousand, certainly exaggeration, but there is no doubt the goddess was one of the most
popular in Egypt. The festival revolved around dancing, singing, and drinking in honor
of Bastet thanking her for gifts given and asking for future favors.

Nehebkau Festival: Nehebkau was the god who bound the ka (soul) to the khat (body)
at birth and then attached the ka to the ba (the traveling aspect of the soul) after death.
The festival commemorated Osiris' resurrection and the return of his ka as the people
celebrated rebirth and rejuvenation. The festival was similar in many respects to the
Wepet-Renpet Festival of the New Year.

Min Festival: Min was the god of fertility, virility, and reproduction from the
Predynastic Period in Egypt (c. 6000 - c. 3150 BCE) onwards. He is usually represented
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as a man standing with an erect penis holding a flail. The Min Festival was probably
celebrated in some form starting in the Early Dynastic Period but is best attested to in
the New Kingdom and afterwards.
As at the Opet Festival, the statue of Min was carried out of the temple by the
priests in a procession which included sacred singers and dancers. When they reached
the place where the king stood, he would ceremonially cut the first sheaf of grain to
symbolize his connection between the gods, the land, and the people and offer the grain
to the god in sacrifice. The festival honored the king as well as the god in the hopes of a
continued prosperous reign which would bring fertility to the land and the people.

Wadi Festival/The Beautiful Feast of the Valley: Similar in many ways to the
Qingming Festival in China and the Day of the Dead in Mexico and elsewhere, the
Beautiful Feast of the Valley honored the souls of the deceased and allowed for the
living and dead to celebrate together while, at the same time, honoring Amun. The
statues of Amun, Mut, and Khonsu (the Theban Triad) were taken from their temples to
visit the mortuary temples and necropolis across the river. People visited with their
departed loved ones at their tombs and brought bouquets of flowers and food and drink
offerings. Egyptologist Lynn Meskell describes the focus of the celebration:

The Beautiful Festival of the Wadi was a key example of a festival of the dead, which
took place between the harvest and the Nile flood. In it, the divine boat of Amun
traveled from the Karnak temple to the necropolis of Western Thebes. A large
procession followed and the living and dead were thought to commune near the graves
which became houses of the joy of the heart on that occasion. (cited in Nardo, 99-100)

Images of the deceased were carried in the procession so their souls might join in the
festivities and were left in the tombs when the festival was completed. As Meskell notes,
"in this way a link was forged between celebrating the gods and the dead in a single
all-encompassing event" which brought the past into the present and, through the eternal
gods, on into the future. The Beautiful Feast of the Valley was among the most popular
in Egypt's history and was celebrated from at least the Middle Kingdom on.

Sed (Heb-Sed) Festival: This celebration honored the king and revitalized him. It was
held on the thirtieth yearsof the king's reign in order to ensure he was still in harmony
with the will of the gods and physically fit to rule Egypt. The festival began with a grand
procession held in front of priests, nobles, and the public. The king would need to run
around an enclosed space (such as the temple complex at Saqqara) in order to prove he
was fit and, in later eras, would fire arrows toward the four cardinal directions as a
symbol of his power over the land and his ability to bring other nations under Egypt's
influence.

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 The festival probably dates from the Predynastic Period in some form but is
certainly attested to from the reign of King Den (c. 2990-2940 BCE) of the First
Dynasty. The name comes from the deity Sed, an early wolf-god (sometimes depicted as
more of a jackal), who was originally among the most important gods, associated with
the strength of the king, justice, and balance (and so linked with the goddess and concept
of ma'at). Sed was eventually absorbed by Wepwawet and Anubis and superseded by
Osiris who, by the New Kingdom, had taken Sed's place in the festival. As with all the
great festivals, the state provided the people with food and beer for the duration.
Although only supposed to be celebrated after the first 30 years of the king's reign
(and every three years afterwards), the Heb-Sed was sometimes observed earlier and is
often referred to as the king's jubilee. The length of a king's reign was once dated, in
part, according to the observance of the Heb-Sed until it came to be understood that
some kings initiated the festival earlier than the 30-year mark if they were in poor health
(and needed the gods' rejuvenation) or for other reasons.

The Epagomenae: The Super-added Days.

These were the five days at the end of the
year added in order to bring the Egyptian
calendar of 360 days in line with the solar
year of 365. According to the myth, when
Nut became pregnant by her brother Geb at
the beginning of the world, it so enraged Ra
(Atum) that he decreed she would not give
birth on any day of the year. Thoth, however,
played a game of senet with the moon god
Iah (Khonsu) in which he gambled, and won,
five-day's-worth of moonlight. He took this moonlight and created the five "super-added
days" which Nut could give birth in.
On the first day, she gave birth to Osiris, on the second Horus the Elder, on the
third Set, on the fourth Isis, and on the fifth Nephthys. These days were considered a
potent time of transition by the Egyptians who saw them as either auspicious or ominous
depending on the deity born on a given day. The third day, when Set was born, was
thought especially unlucky, and Plutarch reports that business was not transacted on the
third day and people would fast until evening.
The Epagomenae were not festivals, although observances could be conducted
and, no doubt, rituals were performed in temples, but still are counted among others
because they formed the transition in the cycle of the year between the old and the new.
Following the Epagomenae, the Wepet-Renpet Festival was again observed and a new
year was begun.
Every ancient Egyptian temple, even those erected by the Greek Ptolemies,
contains a particular chapel “portion” dedicated to the divine birth of Horus; the
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hieroglyphic term for this chapel is “ma-mse,” which translates as “birth chapel.” The
birth of Horus honors the miraculous birth of the savior who represents the struggle
between good and evil and who maintains the delicate balance of existence.

Conclusion

In addition to these, there were many more festivals celebrated throughout the year,
which were considered just as important by the ancient Egyptians. The Festival of Neith,
for example, united the entire nation as people lighted candles and oil lamps at night to
mirror the sky and bring earth into harmony with the realm of the gods. The Festival of
Ptah was one of the earliest, honoring the creator god. Another, the Raising of the Djed,
dates from the Predynastic Period and is another of the earliest rites observed in Egypt
which came to be associated with Osiris.

There are even more besides these since, as noted, there were national and local
celebrations. According to Bunson, "these ceremonies served as manifestations of the
divine in human existence and, as such, wove a pattern of life for the Egyptian people"
(91). Meskell notes how "religious festivals actualized belief; they were not simply
social celebrations" (Nardo, 99). The festivals brought the past into the present, elevated
the people toward the divine, and, on the simplest level, were times when the people
could relax and enjoy themselves. The great number of such festivals in the Egyptian
calendar is the clearest evidence of the value the culture placed on joy in life and the
most common form of its collective expression.