The "Beautifal Feast of the Valley"

[Uatch-Khepheru]

There is a festival that took place in the city of Thebes (the Egyptians referred to it as "Weset") on the west bank of the Nile, where the tombs for the dead had been carved into the rock. In the festival, the relatives of the deceased would bring offerings to their tombs, and pray for them. I think this would be cool to implement into the game, moreover, I wonder what other real Egyptian ceremonies/traditions will make it into the game. Now, I know that Tilted Mill can't possibly put every single calender event into cotn, but I think the major events should. Like the anniversery of a King's coronation, and the Festival of Hapi, god of the Nile (I think everyone in Egypt celebrated that).

[Keith]

Here's a site that has a listing of ancient Egyptian festivals using modern dates:

http://showcase.netins.net/web/ankh/calendar1.html

Another site:

http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/festival.htm

One more:

http://www.digitalegypt.ucl.ac.uk/ideology/festivaldates.html

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Keith Heitmann
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[Miut]

Uatch-Khepheru, I think you mean the Beautiful Festival of the Valley when Amun's boat is towed across the Nile with much ceremony. It was held dafter the planting season when there was little to do except see the fields were kept irrigated. The purpose was to invite Amun to pay a visit to the buildings on the west bank, during which time, the god's resting place would be in the hypostyle hall of the Rammaseum which had shrines to all the gods, and the king of the gods would there receive visits from all the gods who protected the dead For this one they even took out the statue of the sainted King Amenophis 1 from his temple, carried in a litter to join Amun. When all the gods were together, there followed 10 days of ceremonies on behalf of all the dead who lay at rest in the rock tombs in "the mountains of the west". This could, however, apparently only happen during the llater life of or after the death of Ramesses 2nd as it was he who built what we call the Ramasseum, so it must be a later period festival.

Eventually the sight of golden statues, stately processions on land or the river, and the accompanying horns and dancing priestesses would become so familiar they pall, so to inject variety they developed mystery plays, especially that of the main mystery of Osisris. This is a very early happening, so having mystery plays at the main sites of Abydos and Busiris would be quite authentic. ;)

As for Thebes sprawling over onto the West bank, I don't think so. That side was only for the dead as "going to the west" was a euphamism for dying. There were the villages of the workers, Deir-el-Medina and Medinat Habu, yes, but apart from that it seems only to have been temples and tombs there .. though if I had my books here I might be able to chase up some mention of a promnent pharaoh possibly building a palace there.. but I think it was to inhabit only during certain festivals like the aforementioned one of the Valley.

You're right in that the Festival of Ha'py, the Nile god, was celebrated by everyone. It was the major one for the peasants, as a good innundation meant there would be no famine.
I'd love to see our Egyptians celebrate this as they threw flowers into the Nile. Ramesses 3rd made much of Ha'py and had many small statuettes of him made in materials ranging from lapis to fainece and they were cast into the temple pool at Re Harakhte at On.

The Festival of Opet was one of the major official ones particularly when the capital and Pharaoh lived in Thebes. It was a month long and held when the floods were at their height. Amun was brought out in his barque and escorted by Pharaoh and all the priests travellled from Karnak to Luxor with much feasting on the way there and back.

Accused criminals, if still at large, could waylay this festival and ask Amun for pardon. Other questions could be asked of the god and his answers were clearly seen by which way the barque swayed - back or forwards.

If we are having real festivals, this would be the main official one, and as important as that of Ha'py to the people.

The Egyptians don't seem to have celebrated birthdays, strangely. There was also the Heb-Sed festival, to renew the energy of Pharaoh. It was held in the 30th year of his reign, then every 3rd year after that.

These are the three major ones listed at Tour Egypt site, the official Egyptian one with much historical data and pix of artifacts etc. not to be confused as just a tourist site.

Additional info on the Beautiful Festival of the Valley from "Everyday Life in Egypt" by Pierre Montet.

As I said, seeing our people celebrate major festivals would be amazing.. I can imagine it now, the processions, the sounds of horns, the temple dancers and their systrums... the barque of the god on the shoulders of the priests. Pharaoh in his chariot or held shoulder high.. wow.... :p

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[Uatch-Khepheru]

Thanks for the extra info, and I think we will see a festival of some form, if its anything like Pharaoh :D