Opet Festival

The Opet Festival ( also Ipet hard, Amun in his private rooms (Luxor ) ) is first documented under Hatshepsut New Kingdom and was since the introduction as one of the most important celebrations in ancient Egypt.

As a multi-day festival processions symbolize the cycle of sacred marriage, procreation of the royal Ka and legitimacy and coronation of the king. [A 1], as well as rejuvenation of Amun -Re by the execution of the gods worship.

Hatshepsut understood in this context as Ipet entitled " The first of the noble ladies (ladies) who embraces Amun " and presented so that the reference to their " divine birth" and " divine conception by Amun " her.

Background

Origin

The date of the Opet Festival is in conjunction with the 15th Achet II (September 29 ) in 1492 BC, the day of the coronation of Tuthmosis II regency for the very young king took over from that day first Hatshepsut's mother, Queen Ahmose. Following rebelled in the first year of reign Nubian princes who had previously used Thutmose I.. On a stele which stood between Aswan and Philae, Thutmose II reported by the suppression of the revolt:

" 9 Achet II: Since his Majesty sent a large army to Nubia for the first time that he made a triumphal march to crush all who revolted against his majesty ( ... ) Since this army threw his majesty down those barbarians. They left not a life of their husbands, just as his Majesty had ordered, with the exception of one of these children of the princes of the wretched Kush, who was brought alive as a prisoner with their people to the place where was his Majesty, and the was placed under the feet of the good God. "

Thutmose II had erected later at his coronation a victory monument on the third cataract near Kerma. This special day presented at the same time the start date of the later Opet festival dar. Thutmose III. donated from worship of his father's Opet festival as eponymous festival of Amun at Elephantine, which is also at the same time began on the evening of the 14th Achet II there.

The Opet Festival under Hatshepsut

Under Hatshepsut the Opet Festival is the first time in 1462 BC occupied for 14 Achet II. Hatshepsut scenes of the ceremony attach to the walls of the Red Orchestra next year. In the terraced temple at Deir el -Bahari, the report is to be read, which describes the " divine conception ' of Hatshepsut Amun by:

" [ There was this wonderful God, Amon the Lord of the Thrones of the Two Lands ], after he had turned into the majesty of this her husband, the King of Upper and Lower Egypt ʿ 3- HPR -K3 -R ʿ; they found her [A 2], as it rested in the beauty of her palace. She woke up because of the smell of God; she smiled at his majesty. So he went to her immediately and was in heat (H ȝ d) against them, he gave his heart to her, he let her see him [in] his form as God, when he came before them. She was happy to see his beauty, his love went a [ the palace was flooded with the smell of God ] in their body, all his [ fragrances ] were ( scents) of Pwnt. [ It did this God ] anything he wanted with her. She let him rejoice over them. [They] kissed him. "

Fixed data

Thutmose III. returned, in the 23th year after his victory at the Battle of Megiddo in time to Karnak back to the gods ride of Amun during the celebration of the feast of Opet on the 15th day of the month P ȝ Jpt ( Paophi ) ( 15 Achet II ( 21 September ) to accompany 1457 BC). After Hatshepsut previously opened the Opet Festival over the years, led Thutmose III. the first time the procession of Amun in connection of an additional victories victim regarding the victorious Battle of Megiddo:

"His Majesty ( Thutmose III. ) Donated a new Amun God's sacrifice ( after returning from Megiddo ) to in his temple at Karnak what one praises to do at his beautiful feast of Opet on 15 Achet II, when the king of this glorious God pulls out to take his ride in its southern castle (Luxor ), he creates a great sacrifice for this day as it feeds into the southern castle as annual performance. "

On 14 Achet II began the evening the first ceremonies of the Opet Festival, which ended after 11 days on 25 Achet II. This date was later than under Ramses III. postponed to 18 Achet II, on 19 Achet II followed by the first holiday. The reasons for the shift is not yet released. Ramses III. extended in his reign the hard life in addition to 27 days. With the arrival of Amun on the 15th Achet III closed the Opet Festival; under Ramses II with 23 holidays on 11 Achet III

On the Victory Stele of Piye new amendments hard time are named as Amun was prepared by Piye on 9 Achet I to the Opet Festival. On 2 Achet III Amun returned to the temple of Karnak. Under Psammetichus I, however, his daughter Nitocris meets in time for the original date under Hatshepsut on the evening of 14 Achet II in Karnak one.

Hard course

They were crossed today the Great Court of Ramses II, so you can reach the colonnade of Amenhotep III. The walls of the colonnade are decorated on their inner sides with illustrations of the Opet festival, which date from the time of Tutankhamun, Ejes and Horemheb.

Accompanied by the king and Wab - reading and priests are the statues of the gods of courage and Amun Khonsu on their cult barks from Karnak to Luxor temple out. During the procession, the Nile is lined by the native population, which pay homage to the passing gods and the king. In the so-called birth of the space Ipet rsjt, the Mammisi, then carries out the annual ritual union of the Kingdom of God with the king's mother, following the birth of the Royal Ka. The Ka then merges with the king, who re-appears with his newborn Ka as " son of Amun -Re " in front of the jubilant festival participants., On

" His place of justification in which it tapers [here Amenhotep III. ] ( HWN ), the palace from which he emerges happy at the moment of epiphany ( ḫ ʿ w). "

The ideal cosmic and social order, a state of salvation (...), from the people and gods, social and cosmic sphere is rsjt With the justification and the appearance of the good God ), and by the ritual regeneration of Amun -Re in his jpt renewed, equally affected are:

"Rejoice, thou whole country! The good time has come. A gentleman - he was alive, was safe and sound, has appeared in all countries, Ma'at is returned to its place. (...) The wicked are like the face, the greedy are all despised. The water is not dried up, the flood rises up. The days are long, the nights have hours, the moon comes at the right time. The gods are appeased and satisfied, one lives in laughter and wonders. "