— SACRED TIME —

Akitu — Babylonian New Year

approximate window: March 20 – April 3 · Mesopotamia · Paganism of antiquity

Historical window

Esoteric and historical meaning

Twelve days of renewal in Nisannu: recitation of the Enuma Elish, victory of Marduk over Tiamat, and the refoundation of the cosmos from primordial chaos.

Operative mechanics — ritual acts

·Full recitation of the creation poem.
·Ritual humiliation of the king: stripped of his regalia, slapped, he must declare he has not failed.
·Procession of the god's statue along the sacred way.

Traditional foods

·Barley bread, beer
·Dates

Offerings

·Beer, oil, ram
·Substitute figurines

Taboos to respect

·Power cannot present itself intact before the god
·No legal trials during the festival

Associated symbols

Mushussu dragon-serpent · Ziggurat · Tablets of Destinies