The Beautiful Festival of the Valley was celebrated in and around Thebes. Ancient Egyptians dedicated it to the god Amon of Karnak and the dead, on which the most significant emphasis lay. This festival was memorialised in the seventh month of each year.
Main Participants of Beautiful Festival of the Valley
The festival consisted of a procession led by the Pharaoh, Amon, and several Theban deities, Mut, Khonsu and Amaunet, from Karnak to the western Nile bank.
These processions went on for moments when the public could see the king. Thus, the pharaoh showed that he was part of society by participating in the celebrations. This participation created a unique atmosphere. However, he distinguished himself by remaining out of reach of the public.
Pharaoh’s Role in the Beautiful Festival of the Valley
On the western bank of the Nile, the king and Amon visited the cemetery, the temples of deceased pharaohs and other gods, the sanctuary of Hathor, and the chapel of Anubis. Higher and lower-ranking officials could participate directly in the procession by carrying the procession barque or being on the king’s ship.
Dead Participation
Even the dead were able to participate in the festival utilising steles. These steles stood along the procession route in the necropolis. Also, the dead were able to receive offerings through these steles. Moreover, ancient Egyptians believed that the god could see these steles, look at them, see their depictions, and read their names.
Public Participation
Also, the general public and minor priests could participate in the festival’s procession as spectators. Furthermore, during the festival, families of the dead celebrated the festival in the funerary chapel of their ancestors, located in the Theban necropolis.
Offerings
The deceased was the focal point of the festival. While celebrating the festival in the chapels, family members gave offerings to the deceased, played music and sang songs, which musicians and dancers did. This ceremony made for a beautiful day in the deceased’s family house. Also, the family held a banquet in the family tomb during the festival. The textual sources from Deir el-Medina and chapels from the Theban necropolis describe this type of banquet.
During this banquet, the aim was to become intoxicated and thus partially fade out the border between the living and dead, which held religious importance. All this is because the mortuary cult of ancestors played an important role in Egyptian culture. Thus, it enabled the family to interact with the deceased directly and reconnect with their ancestors.
