For the ancient Egyptians, each day of the year had a certain significance. There were good and bad days for farming, for travel, for religious ritual, for warfare, and for leisure pursuits such as feasting, hunting, and fishing. According to the Cairo Calendar, an artifact that provides information about Egyptian astrology, certain mythological events were associated with each day, and certain activities and behavior were appropriate on particular days.

Festivals

The Egyptians celebrated the most important days of the year with a festival. The New Year ( sopdit ) was celebrated when the Nile River began to rise, a time that coincided each year with the rising of the star Sirius and which was marked by the giving of offerings to the gods by both city dwellers and villagers. During the inundation, the festival of opet was celebrated with the procession of...