Month were celebrated already in the Old Hittite period.

The tradition of spring and fall festivals marking the begiraiing and end of work

ing in the fields must also go back to the period in question. 38 * Relevant texts are

Later, but these ceremonies in Old Hittite times could not have been much different

Than described. A large storage vessei was kept inside some temples and we see it,

For instance, in the scene on the reiief vase from inandiktepe described above. After

384

385

Sipahi 2000; 2001;

Taraoha 2002: 13ff.

On the great fesfciv

Cf. also Decker 2003: 49ff.; Schuol 2004: 58f.

: 2004c; Güterbock 2003.

Als of the sixfch year celebrated in Hattusa in the lOth, 16th and 22nd(?)

Year of the reign of Mursili II, see Groddek 2002e. Haas and Wegner (1992: 247) also suggested

a six-year cycle for the ceremonies celebrated in the hesta ~house on the llth day of the

AN.DAH.SUM festival. It is not enough on these grounds, however, to conclude that both great

Festivals of the Empire period, AN.DAH.SUM and nuntarriyashas (see 3.2.6), were celebrated in

Six-year cycles, The great festival of Telipinu in Hanhana was celebrated every nine years; see

Haas - Jakob-Rost 1984: 15f. Local festivals celebrated every three years are also evideneed;

See. e.g., KBo 18.231 rev,? 7’, Hazenbos 2003: 86f.

387 Carter 1962: 8f.; Güterbock 1964b: 70ff.; Archi 1973; Hazenbos 2003: 168ff.; 2004.

The harvest it was filled with grain. In the spring this jar was opened ceremoniously

And the grain used to bake bread, which was then offered to the god in Order that

He shall recover Ms vital forces in the new season. The same purpose stood behind

The washing of the god (lavatio), the magical sense being to imbue him with new

Life. The divinity was carried in a ritual procession to a sanctuary outside the city

Walls and set up in front, of her huwasi. Thereupon the statue was washed in the

River or sacred pond by a spring, sacrifices were made and the participants partook

In a ritual meal. To ensure the god’s entertainment, sport competitions were organ

Ized, including wrestling, fist fighting and thrusting stones. 388 Similar ceremonies

Took place in the fall, although the god’s statue was not washed at this time.

An extramural Awieasj-sanctuary and an adjacent sacred pond called Suppitaisu

were located c. 2.5 km south of the city of §arissa/Ku§akli.' The king participated

In ceremonies which were held there in Connection with the spring festival of the

Storm-god of Sarissa, described in texts found both in this city and in Hattusa. 3 * 10

A similar sanctuary by a spring with a sacred pond was found at Gölpmar, c. 1 km

southeast of Alacahöyük. 391 It has been dated convincingly to the Empire period

(see 3.2.6), but it surely existed already in the earlier phase.

Meteorological rituals, which were celebrated “when the Storm-god thundered,”

Find no parallels anywhere in the Ancient Near East. The sign given by the god

Caused a feeling of awe and demanded immediate reaction (cf. 3.2.8). An Old Hittite

Text describes an appropriate ritual that the royal couple celebrated in the palaee. 392

The king and queen bowed to the Storm-god Standing in a window and then the

King drank a ritual toast to the god. Two black bulls were sacrificed together with

Nine black sheep, black bread loaves and wine poured from a black libation jug.

Subsequently, the palaee inferior was cleansed by making offerings to the ‘holy places’

and the king ‘drank the gods’-of the Hittite pantheon (3.1.1).

Festival ceremonies carried out within the framework of the state cult took place in

The Capital or another city and were organized by the royal administration. This called

For journeys to be made by the king, royal couple and/or crown prince in Order for

See above, n. 372.

389 Mülle r-Karpe 1997: 139f.; 1998: 152f.; 2002: 187f.

390 Ku 1 6 and 19, and CTH 636, Wilhelm 1995b: 37f£.

C-maroglu - Qelik 2006; Yildinm - Gates 2007: 297.

Neu 1970: 1980: 62ff, (no. 25); Alp 1983a: 208fl.; Wilhelm 1995a.

Hittite Anatoua

The festivals to be celebrated in the provinces. The king who was invested with his

Authority by the supreme deities, the Storm-god and the Sun-goddess (3,1.1), was