Hab-Sed of Tutankhamun, 2008

The Pharaoh's gotten much nicer digs this year...

Well, a full calendar year has passed since the first Hab Sed in honor of Tutankhamun. During that time, we've made a lot of new friends, and added both to the virtual Temple and our physical space. Sunday, November 16th, 2008 marked our second Sed feast of Tutankhamun. It was a small, but beautiful, ceremony that celebrated all the positive things we've had over the past year.

Here's a close-up of the altar. We decided to do a more 'traditional' Egyptian service this time, beginning with an invocation to the Gods and using a sistrum, which you see on the blue part of the altar next to the candle. (The liquid in the dish at left is beer, btw. And no, it hasn't been 'recycled'...!)

"An offering which Geb gives of all your royal insigniae in all your places." With those words from the Pyramid Texts, the Double Crowns were rejoined on the statue of the Pharaoh. Then we toasted to our health, fellowship and hope for the future. And just as Tutankhamun's name escaped his successors' attempts to obliterate him from history, we reminded ourselves that what seems like defeat can indeed turn out to be victory.

This was neat side angle of the altar. I didn't manage to take many pictures of this ritual, but the experience was something pictures just couldn't capture. This Hab Sed was extra-special because, at the very same time we were re-crowing the Pharaoh, his royal diadem and several of his other belongings were just three hours 'down the road' in Dallas for the "Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs" exhibit. In fact, the very next weekend I took Daryn and my brother to see it. Opportunities like these don't crop up every day!

See you same time next year for the next Hab Sed! Meantime, seneb-ti (be well)!

 

Back to Temple Main Page