Nile Valley Festivals:

1
Nile Valley Festivals

• Forerunner to Carnival

2
The Context

• The Nile Valley and the Nile River constitute the
  worlds first cultural super highway
• The Nile River, known as the deity Hapi, is
  approximately 4, 112 miles
• Along this processional way great civilizations
  grew and spread to other parts of Africa as well
  as abroad to Asia, Europe and later to the
  Americas-- i.e., Nubia/Kush, Ta Seti, Ethiopia
  and finally the culminating three kingdoms of Ta
  Merry known to us as ancient Egypt today --coming
  from the deep south of Africa

3
The Context(Contd)

• Annual and seasonal festivals were a germaine
  part of the 40,000 millennia tradition bequeath
  to Ta-Merry (ancient Egypt)
• The rituals, festivals and associated deities are
  too numerous to mention here given the
  constraints of time
• Hence an overview shall suffice in this
  presentation

4
Seasons Festivals Calendar

• Akhet (Winter) Season of Inundation  Netjer
  of the Season Hapi
• was divided into 4 months of 30 days (mid-July to
  November)Month of Djehuti begins. Feast of
  Thoth, Opet Festival reunion of Amun and Mut
• KMT August 5 Gregorian Calendar August 22

5
Seasons Festivals Calendar

• Peret (Spring)  Season of Sowing
  GrowthNetjer of the SeasonKhepra  Month of Min
  
• KMT Nov 1 Gregorian Calendar November 16 Sed
  Festival
• Another 4 months with 30 days each mid-November
  to March)

6
Peret (Spring)

• Kmt Dec 10
• Gregorian Calendar December 25
• Birth of Heru (Horus) the child of Aset (Isis)
  Going forth of Wadjet singing in Heliopolis Day
  of Elevating the Great Netjer (Goddess) in all
  Her names manifestations

7
Seasons Festivals Calendar (contd)

• Shemu Season of Harvest KwanzaaNetjer of the
  Season Khonsu-Ra (lunar and Solar mix)
• Kmt March 6 Gregorian March 21
• Spring Equinox Harvest Festival Festival of
  restructuring the Heavens Coming forth of the
  Great Ones from the House of Ra
• Another four months with 30 days each(mid-March
  to July)

8
Seasons Festivals Calendar (contd)

• Epagomenal /Herew Renpet Days Out of
  TimeFestivals of the Birthday of Wosir Kmt July
  1(Osiris birth) Gregorian Calendar July 14
• Kmt July 2 (Gregorian Calendar July 15 Birthday
  of Heru-Dunawhy )
• Kmt July 3 (Gregorian Calendar July 16
  Birthday of Set)
• Kmt July 4 (Gregorian Calendar July 17 Birthday
  of Aset (Isis)
• Kmt July 5 (Gregorian Calendar July 18 Birthday
  of Nebet-Het (Nephthys)

9
How some important Festivals were celebrated

• Festivals constituted a central role in ancient
  Egypt life as been demonstrated in the abridge
  calendar.
• Some major ones include Opet, Beautiful Festival
  of the Valley, Heb Sed, New Year Festival, The
  Triumph of Horus over Set, Wasirian Festival at
  Abydos, among others

10
Connections btw Nile Valley and its Diaspora ala
Carnival

• The root meaning of the word carnival can be
  traced to Latin
• Carne means flesh vale means farewell
• These two concepts are directly tied to the
  revelry of eating and intoxication right before
  the abstinence of 40 days before the crucifixion
  and resurrection of Christ in Christianity

11
Connections btw Nile Valley and its Diaspora ala
Carnival

• The Wosirian drama of Set slaying his brother
  Wosir, and their sisters Aset Nebet-Het
  hovering over the mummified body, performing the
  rites of resurrection more than 6,500 ago, is
  pregnant with the antecedents for Carnival
  other secular/ religious rituals
• There was no Greece or Rome in the consciousness
  of Europe

12
Aset and Nebet Het at Wosirs Resurrection
13
Djehuti at Wosirs Resurrection
14
Herus Battle with Seth

• The offspring of Wosir and Aset- Heru had
  several conflagrations with his uncle Seth of
  slaying his father

• Example of a frame from Temple of Edfu

15
Herus Battle with Seth

• Example of another frame from Temple of Edfu,
  Battle between Seth and Heru

16
Djehuti at Wosirs Resurrection
17
Wosirs Resurrection
18
Resurrection in the Hall of Judgment

• Here is a Wosir seated on his throne with his
  sisters and wife Neb Het and Aset in white after
  resurrection in the Hall of Judgment
• Death, resurrection, regeneration, rebirth and
  renewal were the constant refrain and underlying
  foundation of all festivals in the Nile Valley
  and were later exported to the rest of the
  world, ex Europe

19
Wosirian Festival at Abydos

• Wosiran Festival is pregnant with all the
  elements of what would later be manifested in
  several festivals including what we call Carnival
  today

• Barque of Wosir at Abydos

20
Wosirian Festival at Abydos

• Wosiran festival was celebrated at the end of the
  cycle of 360 days
• The birthdays of the important deities of Aset,
  Seth, Nebet-Het, Heru and Wosir
• And in the period of Out of Time period of
  renewal, regeneration, resurrection,, between the
  death of one year and the beginning of another
• Between Time itself when everything is suspended
  letting loose, no laws, suspension of inhibitions
  and cleansing

• Barque of Wosir at Abydos

21
Wosirian Festival at Abydos

• A major feature at the Wosiran festival was
  display of combatants who re-enacted the battle
  between Seth and Heru

• Barque of Wosir at Abydos

22
Wosirian Festival at Abydos

• Another example of martial artists a welcomed
  feature at the Wosirian festival as well as the
  contemporary mock battles in Carnival
  celebrations today in the Diaspora

• Barque of Wosir at Abydos

• Combatants

23
Opet Festival, Amun, Mut and Khonsu

• Opet is a reunion, regenerative festival
  celebrated annually for about 24 days. On the
  KMT calendar August 5 Gregorian Calendar August
  22 (today).
• The major deity of the Southern Egypt Amun-Re is
  taken from his chapel at Warit/Karnak
• To join his wife Mut at Waset /Luxor accompanied
  by their son Khonsu. Here we see the Trinity of
  father, mother and son

• Amun

24
Opet Festival, Amun

• Solar deity oldest god of the eastern sky
• Fertility god, seen here a potent ram of
  procreative energy
• Related to Min,god with the erect phallus
• Warrior god king of the gods
• Universal god
• Greeks called him Zeus

• Amun

25
Opet Festival, Mut

• Mut at Waset /Luxor

• Mut

26
Opet Festival, Mut

• Mut at Waset /Luxor
• She represents the mother deity with all the
  instincts of a mother. Note the lion head mask
• Nile Valley culture always paid great regard
  to the zoomorphic world as a complement to the
  human world

• Mut

27
Opet Festival, Khonsu

• Khonsu the lunar deity son of Amun and Mut.
  

• Mut

28
Opet Festival, Khonsu

• Khonsu Anthropomorphic representation of
  human body with mask of a hawk with moon above

• Mut

29
Opet Festival, Trinity

• Here we see the Trinity of father,
  mother and son

30
Opet Festival Processional way contd

• Avenue of ram-headed sphinxes

31
Opet Festival

• There was elaborate preparation for this week to
  one month celebration
• Initial procession was long a one mile and half
  avenue known as the Avenue of ram-headed

32
Opet Festival

• And Avenue of the human headed sphinxes joining
  the sister temples of the Grand Lodge of Waset
  and the Great Temple of Warit

Avenue of the human headed sphinxes
33
Opet Festival Priestly Procession

• The Barque of Amun borne by a procession of
  priests from the Great North Temple

34
Opet Festival Procession contd

• Another view of Barque of Amun borne the
  processional priests from the Great North Temple

35
Opet Festival Processional Musicians

• Musicians at the Opet

36
Opet Festival Processional Musicians (contd)

• Here are some merrymakers with sting instruments
  at Waset temple, Amenhotep III court columns
• As part of the Akhet Season of Inundation, during
  the second month of the four-month observance,the
  Opet is celebrated with music and various kinds
  of offerings

• Musicians at the Opet

37
Opet Festival offerings

• Opet with

and various kinds of offerings
38
Opet Festival offerings (contd

• More offerings

39
Opet Festival offerings (contd

• More offerings from Waset Temple

40
The float Boat/Barque

• Replica of a Barque from Horus Temple at Edfu

41
Masks

• The mask was not a mere disguise but to capture
  the energy and admired characteristics and
  attributes of a particular animal
• In this instance the hawks eye and its ability
  to see from a distance above was revered
• Its fierceness was also considered potent

42
Musical Instrument

• Here is an example of one of the common
  instruments at al festivals, the Sistrum, shack-
  shack

43
Masks

• Beetle-headed deity which is a representation of
  Re as a solar disc as he appears early in the
  morning on the horizon
• The beetle was observed rolling a ball of mud or
  dung in the similar manner as the sun moves
  across the sky
• Female lays her eggs in a similar ball and the
  young emerges
• The biology of this insect belied the Egyptian
  rational for selection

44
Masks

• Djehuty/Tehuti originally appeared as baboon
  deity with lunar disc in predynastic times
• Primarily represented thereafter as a ibis Scared
  bird of the scribes
• Associated with knowledge and chief among the
  scribes
• The intellect of Atum

45
Masks lend themselves to Masquerade

• The Masquerade is a very popular means of
  reconnecting, regenerative and renewal forces in
  Africa and its Diaspora
• Masks are made by using animal references-
  dominate the play or drama

• Kanaga mask with writing, Dogon, Mali, 20th
  century.

46
Masks lend themselves to Masquerades

• Masquerade festivals are held annually in
  Nigeria/Yoruba, Ijaw communities. Such seasonal
  celebratory moments promote peaceful-co existence
  and development as people are brought together
  from different backgrounds to jubilate. Virtues
  of love, sympathy, justice, honesty, patriotism
  and unity are inculcated in the people gathered
  for celebration, thus, sending a positive signal
  across the globe.

47
Masks lend themselves to Masquerade

• Okpo Masquerade, Calabar South, Nigeria