English (United Kingdom) 
Russian (Russia) According to the Late Babylonian texts, the New Year ritual took the first eleven days of the month of Nisannu. On the fourth day of the ritual, the high priest of the temple of Esagil read the epic of Enuma elish ‘When at the top…’ to the statue of Marduk. At the same time, a statue of the god Nabu, the son of Marduk, started its way from the city of Borsippa to his temple E-zida to take part in the festival. On the fifth day, priests-exorcists sanctify the temples of Marduk and Nabu, bringing a sheep as a sacrifice. The king kneels before the high priest and gives him the royal insignia and swears by the name of Marduk that he had not sinned in any way against Babylon. The high priest strikes the king on the cheek and pulls on his ears. If after that the king sheds tears, this is a good sign: Marduk believes his oath and leaves him on the throne. If there are no tears, then Marduk has the right to overthrow the king. Arriving Nabu stops at his temple of E-zida. The text of the rituals of the sixth and seventh days is broken. On the eighth day, the gods gather in the place where destinies are determined — Ubshukinna, where Marduk is raised and given the powers of the king of gods. Then the procession of the gods goes to the Akitu house outside the city, where Marduk stops for some time (about two days). On the eleventh day of the ritual, Marduk solemnly returns to Babylon and, accompanied by his son Nabu, sits in Ubshukinna, determining the fate of the city and the king. Moving through the space of Ubshukinna, Marduk changes names all the time. Then the father and the son depart to their homes: Nabu goes to Borsippa, and Marduk to his wife Zarpanitum for the sacred marriage. The ritual ends with the presentation of the wedding gifts. (Thureau-Dangin, 1921, 127-154; Cohen, 1993; 438-440; Maul, 1998,159-197; Emelianov, 2003, 278-286; Linssen, 2004, 76-86).
Nowadays, it can be understood that Nabu was the patron god of the king and confirmed his legitimacy, the priest-sheshgallu temporarily humiliated the king and demanded an account from him for his activities over the past year, and Marduk personified the divine order contained in the fate of the king and the country. The three-day stay of Marduk in Akitu meant preparation for a new legitimation of Marduk as the namer and creator of all things. If, on the eighth day, Marduk became the head of all gods who recognized him as the winner of Tiamat, then, on the eleventh day, he was already the demiurge of the new space-time, embodying the functions and achievements of all the other gods.
Literature:
- Emelianov V.V. Ritual v Drevnei Mesopotamii (Ritual in Ancient Mesopotamia). St. Petersburg, Peterburgskoe vostokovedenie, 2003.
- Cohen, M.E. The Cultic Calendars of the Ancient Near East. Bethesda, MD: CDL Press, 1993.
- Linssen M. J. H. The Cults of Uruk and Babylon. The Temple Ritual Texts as Evidence for Hellenistic Cult Practices. Leiden; Boston: Brill-Styx, 2004.
- Maul S.M. Marduk, Nabu und der assyrische Enlil. Die Geschichte eines sumerisches Šu'ilas // Festschrift fűr Rykle Borger. Groningen, 1998
- Thureau-Dangin F. Rituels Accadiens. Paris, 1921.