The main purpose of the religious festivals was to celebrate gods and pharaohs, and to show the Egyptians’ dedication to the gods, in particular Amun, who was the most prominent god in the Early New kingdom. The purpose of local festivals were similar to the state festivals, however, each village also had their own purposes for some festivals. For example the workers of Deir el Medina held a festival in honour of the founders of the village, Amenhotep I and his mother. Religious festivals such as The Beautiful Feast of the Valley, The Opet festival and the Heb-Sed festival were all very significant in the Early New Kingdom, as it was not only an opportunity for the pharaoh to re-establish the concept of the divine kingship, but these various festivals also according to Kemp, provided the ordinary Egyptians with a way of communicating with the state god Amun. As well as being able to communicate with the gods, the local festivals were also significant because the people in the village were able to participate in the village where as in the bigger, state festivals they were not really able to.
The Beautiful feast of the Valley was a celebration of Amun, other state gods such as Isis and Horus and the deceased pharaohs as gods. Therefore it focused on the divine aspects of kingship. The statue of the god Amun, would be placed onto a ceremonial boat and the carried to the Nile. At the beginning the barque of Amun would make its journey alone, however, soon after it would be joined by his consort Mut and their son, Khonsu. The statues of the Theban triad would be accompanied by the pharaoh, the royal family and officials as it made its journey across the Nile to the necropolis.
The procession began at Karnak and then made its way slowly down the edge of river and then would be put onto barges to be towed across the river to the western side. Once it had crossed the river, the shrines would be taken to visit the mortuary temples of all the deceased pharaohs, the mortuary temple of the pharaoh and also the temples of other gods. The procession ended at the necropolis and then the rituals for dead ancestors and family members were performed.
Similarly, the Opet festival was important as it emphasized the semi divine nature of kingship. The Opet festival served as a renewal of the god and the pharaoh, as well as emphasizing the connection between the gods and the Egyptian people. It also had a processional route that started in Karnak, however, the Opet festival ended at the temple of Luxor. Again, the barque of Amun would be taken out from the sanctuary of Karnak and then he would be taken on a procession that would take him to the Luxor temple. During the reign of Hatshepsut the barque was carried on the shoulders of the priests, however, towards the later New Kingdom, the barque would sometimes be pulled across the river. The procession was accompanied by priests, soldiers, singers, dancers, musicians, and chariots of the king. The procession of the Opet festival can bee seen on the walls of Hatshepsut’s chapel. There are scenes of the procession of the Opet festival from Karnak to Luxor, along the way stations that was erected by Hatshepsut and also scenes of the returning from Luxor.
Once the barque of Amun, reached the Luxor temple, it was welcomed with offerings and then would be moved into the shrines within the temple. In Hatshe’suts red chapel a scene sohws Thutmose III welcoming the barque of Amun as it reached Luxor temple. The pharaoh then entered and proceeded to the chambers at the back of the temple. Once in the chamber the pharaoh and his ka would merge and the pharaoh would be transformed. Then when he reappeared, he would have been transformed into a divine being and all the people outside would cheer. The cheering from the crowd meant that the miracle had worked and that they had accepted it as having worked. As a result of the pharaohs miraculous transformation inside the temple it is not known for certain what rituals were conducted inside the temple. However, what is known is that it was the renewal of the pharaoh’s right and power to rule. The ritual of the coronation of the pharaoh was repeated and the pharaoh would make offerings to the god Amun. By making the offering he was renewed by the god.
During the Opet festival, the Thebans were able to ask the gods questions that were able to be answered with a yes or a no. An example is that a man may ask whether his brother, who lived in a different town, was healthy. If the statue became heavier the answer was a yes, and if it moved backwards the answer was no. This was an important part of the festival for the Thebans because it gave them an opportunity to communicate with Amun, which would not have been able to happen on a day to day basis.
The Heb-Sed festival was a very important festival as the powers of the pharaoh were symbolically rejuvenated during this festival. The Heb-Sed Festival also known as the royal jubilee was usually celebrated when the pharaoh had reigned for thirty years. The Heb-Sed festival was a test of the pharaoh’s physical fitness by running around a specially prepared arena, usually four times, or alongside the Apis bull and through this test the pharaoh was able to prove his fitness to remain in power. In a relief at Hatshepsut’s red chapel in Karnak, she is depicted as pharaoh and is accompanied by the Apis bull. The text in front of her says, “Giving the filed, 4 times” and the text that is just above the head of the bull says, “Getting out [the] Apis bull.” The Heb-Sed festival is also depicted in the mortuary temple of Amenhotep III at Thebes.
Amenhotep I and his mother had a special place in the hearts of the villagers at Deir el medina, because he was the founder of their village. They held a festival in hounour of the deceased pharaoh, and his statue would be carried out of its shrine and paraded before all the joyful villagers. The festival was significant because, like the Opet festival they would be able to ask questions and they would be answered by the god, which in this festival was Amenhotep.
The purpose of state festivals and local festivals provided a chance to celebrate the gods and the pharaohs, and religious festivals such as the Opet festival, Beautiful feast of the Valley and Heb-Sed festival were all significant as they not only allowed for the pharaoh to re-establish the concept of divine kinship, but also allowed the Egyptian people to get a chance to communicate with the gods, such as Amun. The significance of local festivals was that the villagers were also given opportunities to communicate with gods, and also actively participate in some festivals.
Bibliography:
Books
Harris, N. History of Ancient Egypt- The culture and lifestyle of the Ancient Egyptians, Octopus publishing Group Ltd, 1997.
Editors for the Time-life books What was life like on the bank of the Nile, Editors of the Time-life books, Alexandria, Virginia, 1997.
Hayes, M. The Egyptians, Lansdowne Publishing Pty Ltd, 1997.
Kemp, B. Ancient Egypt- Anatomy of a civilisation, Routledge, USA, Canada 1989
World Wide Web
Springer, Ilene & Dunn, Jimmy Grand Festivals in Ancient Egypt,
http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/festival.htm, August 2006
- Opet Festival at Thebes,
http://www.philae.nu/akhet/Opet.html, August 2006
Leser, Dr. Karl H. Red Chapel- Distribution on the South wall,
http://www.maat-ka-ra.de/english/bauwerke/red_chap/sw_bloecke.htm, February 2006
Source: http://www.riversideg-h.schools.nsw.edu.au/public/riverside%20maat/NK%20SOciety/Final%20NK%20soc%20essays/Festivals%20KO.doc
Web site to visit: http://www.riversideg-h.schools.nsw.edu.au
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