.
Museo Egizio, Turin. The Festival of Renenutet was an annual Egyptian celebration held between the end of
Pharmouthi and the beginning of
Pashons. It marked the first day of the harvest season and symbolically linked the birth of child gods to the gathering of new crops. These deities were perceived as providers of fertility and their cyclical rebirth as young solar gods ensured the regeneration of the sun. The festival also incorporated the cult of the reigning monarch, who was identified with the divine child of the local triad, thus reinforcing the legitimacy of royal succession. The festival’s origins can be traced back to at least the
New Kingdom. It was originally seen as the day when Renenutet gave birth to her son Nepri, the god of grain. In
Thebes, several child deities were venerated, including
Khonsu-pa-khered, Harsiese (Opet Temple), Harpre-pa-khered (North Karnak and Armant), and Somtous (Ptah Temple and Deir el-Medina). It became a festivael particularly in honor of Khonsu, after whom the month of Pashons was named. ==References==