You might think that it’s 2024, but it’s actually the year 6266 in Om El Donia. At least, that’s if you follow the Ancient Egyptian calendar. Our ancestors’ calendar was a solar one, much like the Gregorian calendar we use today, and it has been contested that it is a relatively accurate indicator of seasons in our fair nation.

What does the new year look like? The years of yore began with the heliacal rising of Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, which coincided with the flooding of the Nile. This means we’ll be celebrating the new year again come 11 September. It wasn’t just the new year that followed part of the Nile’s flood cycle — the whole calendar was deeply intertwined with the rhythms of nature, which influenced mythology as well.

Our first month, Akhet, signified resurrection and rebirth. The new year was linked to Osiris, whose death and dismemberment by Seth symbolized the flood’s receding waters, and resurrection and rebirth mirrored the flood’s return and following growth of crops. This cycle influenced their understanding of human birth, death, and resurrection in the afterlife too.

We are currently in Tubah, the coldest month of the year according to the ancient calendar. We’re inclined to agree. Tubah is the fifth month of the calendar and the first month of Peret. Ancient Egyptians took this time to prepare for summer crops, and much like us modern-day denizens, looked forward to the first cutting of sugarcane. And yes, they did have 3aseer Asab. Probably.

While the Egyptian calendar followed the 12 months we’re accustomed to, each month contained only 30 days. To avoid the seasons drifting out of sync over time, our ancestors did a lot of complex calculations for which we would have to burden our accounting department for an explanation, naturally earning the respect of modern mathematicians and astronomers.

The year was divided into three seasons, each lasting four months and each reflecting a different stage of the cycle. Akhet, the first season, followed the inundation of the Nile. Peret, the following season, was for planting — as the Nile receded, the land was fertile and ready to be sowed. Shemu concluded the year with the harvest.

The Egyptian calendar wasn’t just a tool for timekeeping, it was an integral part of everyday life. As the Nile spilled its bounty, festivals like the Opening of the Mouth of the Nile expressed gratitude to Hapi, the god of the Nile. Fears of low floods and disrupted life spurred offerings and prayers for divine intervention. The calendar’s alignment with specific constellations guided rituals and offerings to deities residing in the Duat, the underworld realm. Observing Sirius’ rising aligned with Anubis, the god of the dead, offering hope for safe passage to the afterlife.

Many modern calendars borrow from theirs. The Coptic calendar was the first to rely heavily on the ancient Egyptian timeline, and the months use the same name to this day. Similar to our collective ancestors, the Coptic church determines feasts and commemorations based on similar cycles.

The Ancient Egyptians weren’t alone in developing sophisticated ways of timekeeping— our calendrical counterpart can be found in Mesopotamia. Despite originating from different regions during different time periods, the Ancient Egyptian and Babylonian calendars share some intriguing similarities — and interesting differences.

In 1900 BCE, modern-day Iraq gave birth to the Babylonian calendar. It was one of the earliest lunisolar calendars to exist — using both the sun and the moon to follow the year. While Ancient Egyptians also had a lunar calendar, it was the older of the two systems and mostly retired to cultural use once the more precise solar calendar was put into effect. But like us, the Mesopotamians used their calendar for agricultural timekeeping.

Our beliefs were tied to the Nile, and theirs were tied to the stars. Without the Nile’s cycle to inform them, the Mesopotamians relied on more contextual clues within nature to guide their calendar — namely, astronomy. Priests would have to observe the sky to determine the start of a new month, much like we do with the Hijri calendar. The Mesopotamians divided the ecliptic into 12 constellations associated with different zodiac signs — Much like modern-day astrology. They believed these signs influenced individual destinies and used them for horoscopes and predictions.

This system was eventually introduced to the Ancient Egyptians, who began using horoscopes to predict a newborn’s fate. Observing planetary movements became a way to understand the gods’ wills and interpret omens. Celestial events like eclipses and comets were viewed as powerful omens, prompting rituals and prayers to appease the gods and avert potential disasters.

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