Opet Festival
opet festival ancient egyptian ḥb nfr n jpt beautiful festival opet annual ancient egyptian festival celebrated thebe luxor especially new kingdom later period second month season akhet flooding nile festival celebrated promote fertility amunre pharaoh believed spiritual offspring amunre – son daughter amunre john coleman darnell argues “opet began ii akhet thutmose iii lasted day sethe line beginning reign ramesses iii festival stretched days” festival included ritual procession barque ceremonial boat used transport statue god deity cult statue “amunre supreme god wife mut son khons” procession carried statue km karnak temple “luxor temple destination opet feast” luxor temple ritual marriage ceremony took place birth room pharaoh amunre spiritually linking ensure pharaoh’s fertility reinstate pharaoh intermediary god egypt marriage ceremony pharaoh ceremonially reborn recrowning ceremony emphasising fertile nature pharaoh legitimising divine right rule ancient festival survives presentday feast sheikh yūsuf alhaggāg islamic holy man whose boat carried around luxor celebration life mawlid celebration take place around vicinity abu haggag mosque opet festival became mainstream festival early new kingdom circa bc th dynasty came power “driving hyksos invader occupied northern part nile valley year egypt’s new ruler wasted time making capital city thebe vast ceremonial stage celebrate consolidation power opet festival took centre stage” reign thutmose iii bc festival lasted day start rule ramesses iii bc expanded day death bc stretched accurate information history opet festival come changing nature route karnak luxor temple marina escolanopoveda provides comprehensive analysis shifting path temple “the processional route temple varied time sometimes traveling foot along avenue sphinx road nearly two mile long lined statue mythical beast time sacred statue traveled karnak luxor specially made bark known egyptian userhatamun “mighty prow amun” vessel built lebanon cedar covered gold prow stern decorated ram’s head sacred god” although nature route temple remained length festival changed ruler certain year barque amunre travelled solely karnak luxor “…a ritual journey shrine karnak temple luxor” however return journey luxor karnak also acted celebration “…part opet feast must taken place return journey karnak” new kingdom egyptian society depended generosity god ensure received needed lacked scientific understanding explain specific event egyptian looked upon natural event sign intervention specific god wanted maintain natural order universe ma’at appease god egyptian routinely made offering god sacrifice prayer festival perceived symbiotic relationship celebration god provided assurance egyptian allowing live life without fear divine intervention opet festival reestablished essential communication god egyptian society rebirth ceremony temple luxor’s birthroom initiated pharaoh intermediary god reborn son amunre “the rebirth sungod” rebirth promoted fertility pharaoh ensuring divine right rule consolidating lineage opet festival also reinforced fertility harvest fluctuated depending inundation nile therefore celebrated “second month akhet season” pharaoh active festival sailor soldier prominent nonreligious group festival observed colonnade hall reliefscenes demonstrated large number civil military official partook preparation running opet festival john coleman darnell emphasis importance general population executing festival “ramesses ii listed amongst responsible arranging festival member civil administration provincial governor borderofficials head internal economic department officer commissariat cityofficials upper rank priesthood” actively involved running festival “able observe riverbank least may limited access forepart temple” festival also provided job wab lector priest threemonth rotation recited spell hymn among general population riverbank ensure reverence upheld “common people took almost part religious ritual sacred responsibility priestly class” pharaoh acted intermediary egyptian society god festival luxor temple although “the union god temple may appear sexual union” pharaoh used link promote divine fertility reestablish right rule egypt pharaoh’s marriage ceremony god “a divine marriage result renewal amun person everrenewing human vessel reigning king” ensured egypt would met another fertile year population growth large harvest large inundation nile pharaoh’s religious role reinforced opet festival reaffirmed role “the first prophet amunre king gods” holiest title egypt promotion fertility festival strengthened validity pharaoh’s lineage “celebrated renewal kaforce amun transmission spirit kingship eternal present” allowing royal family maintain power social class religious rite opet festival reestablished confirmed pharaoh’s possession royal ka representation human soul’s lifeforce “this life force inhabited body legitimate pharaoh egypt passed old new latter’s death annual confirmation process would help bolster king’s authority” karnak temple amun luxor temple archaeological centrepiece thebe constructed “the eastern bank nile” construction commencing c bc senusret bc amunhotep iii see history karnak temple complex karnak expanded thutmose early new kingdom measuring nearly two square mile thebe also provides archaeological source opet festival “believed ancient observatory well place worship god amun would interact directly people earth” carving red chapel’s south side karnak provide oldest evidence festival opet chapel made grey diorite red quartzite housed ceremonial barque amunre use source also provide information changing route cult statue amunre text sphinx nectanebo route karnak luxor describes construction refurbishment route amun “so might carry good navigation luxor” revealing basic sense “navigation” would deity traveling within portable barque deck riverine barge shoulder priest john coleman darnell belief using land route luxor meant evoke dry period preceded nile’s annual inundation return karnak river symbolised onset flooding also argues contrasting land water journey symbolised perilous journey sun meant take “the dry realm land sokar” underworld night egyptologist marina escolanopoveda outlined importance relief red chapel hatshepsut depicting celebratory nature festival “the relief make great effort depict grand spectacle many priest support bark statue crowd make joyous din sistrum rattle gods’ bark brought alongside jetty temple luxor carried shoulder priest sacred precinct series ceremony conducted outer court bark taken inner sanctuary accompanied solely highranking priest pharaoh ceremony completed bark returned downstream karnak” november long renovation project avenue sphinx reopened grand ceremony similar opet festival december ministry tourism antiquity announced ceremony would held annually shemu creasman p archaeological research valley king ancient thebe pdf st ed arizona university arizona egyptian expedition retrieved november darnell john coleman opet festival pdf willeke w dieleman j ed ucla encyclopedia egyptology st ed los angelescite book c maint location missing publisher link opet – egyptian festival encyclopædia britannica retrieved april escolanopoveda june ancient egypt fabulous feast opet national geographic archived original december retrieved november fukaya masashi oracular session installation priest official opet festival orient – doiorient issn retrieved november mark j karnak world history encyclopedia retrieved november wendrich willeke ucla encyclopedia egyptology archaeological data web archaeology cotsen institute archaeology press pp – doijctvhhhfgw isbn xu bohai connection dragon head raising day opet festival doiosfioshkvn scid cite journal cite journal requires journal help history karnak temple complex wikipedia retrieved june