The Religious Year (12 Parts)

The Egyptian Religious Year (Part 12/12).The Egyptian year ended on a down-note. Thanks to a string of "unlucky" days, the ancients experienced a time of uncertainty and disorder in their…

The Religious Year (Part 10+11). As the end of year approached, the Egyptians celebrated some essential festivals to honour the past and prepare for the future. With the harvest now…

The Egyptian Calendar Months 8 & 9. The planting season (peret) was ending; the season of harvest (shemu) was starting. Over these two months, Egyptians looked to the fields, and…

The Religious Year (6 + 7 / 12): Great and Small HeatThe sixth and seventh months of the year were called Great and Small Heat, respectively. They were a time…

The Month of Cats and Snakes (The Religious Year 5/12). The fifth month, Ta-Abet ("the banquet offering") was a month for worshiping snakes and cats above all. In particular, the…

The religious year (3/12) The third month was called "Hathor" ("Athyr"). It was a time for renewing fertility and creative energies in the natural world. Festivals to the male god of…

The Religious Year (2/12). In the month of Pa-Opet ("Phaophi") the Egyptians continued their long re-enactment of the myth of Osiris. They also celebrated a huge festival in honour of…

The Egyptian Religious Year (Part 1/12) The Egyptian New Year began in the month called "Tekh." It heralded a month of important rituals: festivals of the Nile Flood (Hapi); festivals…