Welcome to the party

Festivals, in some ways, have always looked the same: dancing, processions, rituals, feasting, sacrifice. It has been this way for 5,000 years, from Africa to Asia and Europe to South America. Take a look at the ancient history of celebration

- K Narayanan

The oldest recorded festival was celebrated in Ancient Mesopotamia, on the fourth day of the month of Nisan, the first month of the Babylonian year, around 3000 BCE.

Called Akitu, it lasted 12 days and, at its core, was a celebration of the planting of a new crop of barley, and a renewal of the contract between the king and the gods of ancient Babylon, most notably Marduk.

There were days of mourning and days of feasting. Ceremonial puppets were made and burnt. Statues of the gods were taken to the innermost sanctum of the temple on the sixth day, and taken out and paraded along the main streets on the ninth.

The high priest stripped the king of his crown and sceptre, and led him to the sanctum of Marduk. There, in front of the idol of the dragon-slaying deity, he slapped the king hard, and forced him to kneel.

The king then recited a prayer, swearing that he had not sinned against Marduk, the city or its people. His royal accoutrements were then returned to him, and the priest struck him again, so hard that the king was expected to shed tears from the pain. If the king humbled himself and wept, it was understood that Marduk was content for him to continue his rule.

On the seventh day, there was a reenactment of Marduk's battle against Tiamat, the dragon-like representation of chaos; the performance depicted how Marduk's victory led to the creation of the world.

Every aspect of Akitu was linked to renewal. Not surprising, given that the festivities likely began as a way to appease the gods at the start of a new agricultural cycle.

Whether from cultural osmosis and the borrowing of customs, or from the coincidence that marks so much parallel evolution through history, similar celebrations would be observed in Ancient Egypt too and, about 2,000 years later, in Ancient Greece and Rome.

Processions, sacrifices and dramatic performances remain hallmarks of religious festivals worldwide.