The Ancient Egyptian Year
Ancient Egyptian YearThe Seasons
The Egyptians divided their year into 12 months, these were determined by the Nile rather than by strict time spans. The months have been labelled as months which we would recognise today to give the illusion of the temperature, weather and season, they should not be accepted with strict adherence. These seasons are as follows: –
Season of the Inundation “The Akhet”
Month 1: June/July Month of the God Thoth
The month that the Goddess Isis cried her tears of sorrow for her dead husband Osiris thereby creating the Flood
Day 1 New Year: Rahorakhty birthday
Day 15 Offerings to the Gods Hapi and Amun to ensure a good flood
Day 17 Eve of the Wag festival
Day 18 Wag festival
Day 19 Wag and Thoth festival
Day 20 The Day of Tekh (drunkenness)
Day 22 Great Procession of God Osiris
Month 2: July/August Month of the God Menkhet
Day 15 Opet Festival for God Amun and the Theban Triad in Thebes
11-day Festival during Pharaoh Thutmose III’s reign, as recorded at Elephantine Temple
27-day Festival at the time of Pharaoh Ramesses III, as recorded at Medinet Habu
Day 18 Local Festival of Khnum and Anuqet at Elephantine
Day 27 2-day local Festival of Mont, may have been a one-off
Day 28 Local Festival of Satet and Anuqet at Elephantine Island
Day 28 Menkhet Festival, the Festival of Cloth
Month 3: August/September Month of the Goddess Hathor
Day 9 Festival for God Amun
Day 30 Local Festival of Anuqet at Elephantine Island
Month 4: September/October Month of Nehebkau
Day 1 Festival for Goddess Hathor
Day 18 Beginning of Khoiak Festival for the Osiris Story
Day 22 Khoiak Festival Ceremony: Ploughing the Earth
Day 26 Khoiak Festival Ceremony: Sokar Festival
Day 30 Khoiak Festival Ceremony: Raising the Djed Pillar
Season of the Emergence “The Peret”
Month 5: October/November Month of Shefbedet
First of Peret Season of Sowing
Day 1 Festival of Nehebkau: “Beginning of Eternity”
Day 20 Sailing of Wadjyt: Inscription for Thutmose III at the Temple of Mut, Karnak
Day 29 Sailing of Bast: Inscription for Thutmose III at the Temple of Mut, Karnak
Day 29 Festival of Raising the Willow
Day 30 Sailing of Shesmet: Inscription for Thutmose III at the Temple of Mut, Karnak
Month 6: November/December Month of Rekehwer
Second of Peret
Day 1 Sailing of Anubis
Day 30 First day of ‘Amun-in-the-festival-of-raising-heaven’/’the day of bringing branches of the tree’
Month 7: December/January Month of Rekehnedjes
Third of Peret
Day 1 Last day of ‘Amun-in-the-festival-of-raising-heaven’/’the day of bringing branches of the tree’ Ceremony of filling the sacred eye in Iunu
Day 1 Festival of Ptah
Day 21 Festival of Pharaoh Amenhotep I in the Valley
Day 29 4-day Festival of Pharaoh Amenhotep I
Month 8: January/February Month of Renenutet
Fourth of Peret
Day 4 Festival of Bast
Day 5 Appearance of Bast in her boat
Day 25 Harvest offering to Renenutet
Day 27 Granary offering to Renenutet
Season of Harvest “The Shemu“ or “Low Water”
Month 9: February/March Month of Khonsu
First of Low Water or Shemu
Not referring to the level of the Nile as it varied yearly, but referring to when the Nile water was low enough for the collection of the grain harvest
Day 1 Festival of Renenutet
Day 10 Adoration of Anubis
Day 11 4-day Festival of Min
Month 10: March/April Month of Khentkhety
Second of Low Water or Shemu
Festival of the Valley of the Theban Necropolis, celebrated at the New Moon, in which the image of Amun of Karnak on the East Bank, Thebes is taken to Temples for the Cult on West Bank and is considered to be a period for the family to feast with their dead
Month 11: April/May
Month of Ipet-Hemet
Third of Low Water or Shemu
Day 30 Eve of the Hathor: Festival at Thebes
Month 12: May/June
Fourth of Low Water or Shemu
Day 30 Eve of start of the year
The Extra 5 Days
Extra Days to make up a year of 365 days per year:
- Birthday of Osiris
- Birthday of Horus
- Birthday of Seth
- Birthday of Isis
- Birthday of Nephthys
