FESTIVALS AND FEAST DAYS

The ancient Egyptians loved festivals for they provided a respite from the daily routines. In Thebes two such festivals were held honoring the Thebian Triad of Amun, Mut and Khonsu these were the Opet Festival and the Beautiful Feast of the Valley Festival.               Celebrated annually in late May or June, the Beautiful Feast of the Valley provided an opportunity for all Thebians to honor the dead and the gods who watched over them. Festivities began at Karnak where the holy family was loaded onto barges and towed across the Nile to visit the pharaoh's mortuary temple and the temples of other gods. After this, celebrations lasted into the night giving people a chance to express their love of family, reverence for the gods and preoccupation with the afterlife.              Later in the year, when the Nile flooded, Thebians joined in another ceremony, the fesival of Opet. On this occasion, people accompanied the pharaoh and the enshrined images of the holy family in a procession that began at the Karnak temple and concluded at the Luxor temple. There the pharaoh took part in a mysterious ritual that confirmed his powers. Afterward, priests carried the figures, enshrined on their repective barques, back to Karnak.  The people then had a chance to ask the gods questions that could be answered yes or no. For example; a man might inquire as to if his brother in the army was in good health. If the barque dipped forward towards the questioner, the god's answer was yes. If it dipped away, the reply was no.

a relief showing the pharoah leading the priests carring the barque and enshrinement

Mut also had a feast day which again gave cause for celebrations. Her feast day was held around the 12th of June and was officially called the Festival Day of Mut Feeding the Netjers. So called because Mut was considered to have given birth to most of the other gods (Netjers).

At these occasions celebrants feasted heartily, danced, sang and drank wine and beer until they passed out. It was thought that entering into a twilight state between life and death, after having passed out, brought them closer to their departed loved ones.

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