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Calendar of Lucky and Unlucky Days (Egypt)

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Written by Alexandra V. Mironova.

As well as in many other cultures of the ancient world, in Egypt they classified all days of the calendar year into good and bad ones, or partly good and partly bad (further: ‘mixed’). Calendars with indication of such days could be traced back to the epoch of the New Kingdom. Their establishing was produced by the belief that the events described in Egyptian myths could influence on the common day human life. Solar myths were of special importance; there were daily cycles (day and night) and annual cycles (strong/weak). They took into account a period of the Nile inundation, corresponding with the initial waters of Nunu. Some plots about battles and reconciliations of gods can be also mentioned.

The ‘lucky’ days were marked in calendars with the sign 1 (nfr), and ‘unlucky’ ones — with signs 54(Dw), 2(aXA)or 3(aXa). If the first ones were written with black ink, the second ones with red. A completely good day was marked with signs 4, a completely bad one with –  5, a ‘mixed’ one with 6 . A day on three quarters compiled of good events, and on a third (evening) of bad ones was shown as 7. If a certain morning was taken for a good one, but the afternoon and evening of the same day were evaluated as bad ones> they were marked as 8, etc.

Noteworthy, all the five additional days of the year (hryw rnpt), as transitional ones from one year to another, were interpreted as ‘bad’, full of dangers. It was necessary to pronounce special spells on those days and do no make any works. Less than a half of 365 days of the year (about 175) were ‘bad’. In calendar lists, by the date, they recommended special acts which should be done or escape. For example: “the day 4 is bad, do not give offerings to your god today”, or “the day 11 is bad, do not go to your enemy this day. It is the day of trial between Horus and Seth”, or “the day 25 is good, today you should make offerings to the Sun and the Moon” (Bács 1990, 54–55).

The first day of each month was usually completely good. ‘Lucky’ days brought joy and success in undertakings, portended good fortune for children born on such days. On those days, it was prescribed to hold festivals and to make offerings to gods. ‘Bad’ days brought working and health problems. Besides, children born on such days were taken for unfortunate and prone to various deadly diseases. On ‘bad’ days, it was prohibited to start travels, to meet certain people, to ear certain food — fish, for instance, on I Axt 22 (the time connected with transformation of gods into fishes, according the myth on Extermination of people).

Bibliography

  • Bács T. Two Calendars of Lucky and Unlucky Days // Studien zur Altägyptischen Kultur. 1990. Bd. 17. P. 41-64

  • Dawson W.R. Some Observations on the Egyptian Calendars of Lucky and Unlucky Days // The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology. 1926. Vol. 12, No. 3/4. P. 260–264.

  • Porceddu S., Jetsu L. et al. Evidence of Periodicity in Ancient Egyptian Calendars of Lucky and Unlucky Days // Cambridge Archaeological Journal. October 2008. P. 327–339.

Sources

  Издание
Papyrus Cairo 86637 Bakir A. el-M. The Cairo calendar no. 86637. Cairo, 1966.
Papyrus Sallier IV

Chabas F. Le calendrier des jours fastes et néfastes de l'année égyptienne: Traduction complète du papyrus Sallier IV. Maisonneuve, 1890;

Leitz С. Tagewählerei: das Buch h3t nhh ph.wy dt und verwandte Texte. Wiesbaden, 1994. Tf. 55–79.

Photo of the calendar on the site of the British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/Y_EA10184-7
Papyrus BM 10474

Budge E.A.W. Hieratic Papyri of the British Museum,

I–II. L., 1922–1923. Pls. 31–32

Facsimile of the papyrus on the site of the British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/Y_EA10474-4

 

Tags: Ancient Egypt, Alexandra V. Mironova, Articles, Time terms

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