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Party Time in Ancient Egypt
By Ilene Springer
There have been many people—experts and amateurs
alike—who have said the ancient Egyptians were preoccupied with
preparing for death. These were not ancient Egyptians who said
this. If you asked them,  they would have probably said they spent
more time preparing for festivities and a good time…while they
were living.
Just a quick glance at tomb paintings—which depicted the best
part of an individual’s life—often show the ancient Egyptians
fully enjoying themselves in the company of others—at banquets,
being beguiled by exotic dancers and acrobats. The ancient
Egyptians loved a good time and entertainment, music food and
drink were a major part of their lives.
Welcome!
It’s not hard to imagine most of ancient Egyptian society
celebrating throughout various parts of the year—for harvesting,
marriages, childbirth and even funerals in which they sent off the
deceased to the next world. But, of course, the more wealthy
Egyptians were able to  hold lavish banquets and parties purely for
enjoyment. The drawings of these events are where we get our
information about what it was like to be a participant in one of
these banquets.
From what we can tell, each guest was warmly welcomed by both
the male and female hosts of the household, and upon entering the
party, the guests were draped in blossoms and fragrant wreaths of
flowers. This scent of these mingled with those very intriguing
perfumed wax cones the party goers wore on their heads. The heat
of their bodies slowly melted the scented wax through the evening
until the perfumed wax filtered through the hair or, more likely,
the fancy wig of the guest.
The food and drink
Scantily clad servant girls carried trays laden with
delicacies, as we see in a banquet scene from the tomb of Nebamun.
Imagine the food: rich dishes of butter and cheese, fattened fowl
and beef, flavored with rosemary, cumin, garlic, parsley, cinnamon
and mustard, and sweetened with honey, figs and other fruits. Meat
was a luxury in ancient Egypt, but at a feast , no expenses were
spared.
In addition to beef, there were duck, geese, goats, fish and
pigs. Plates filled with chickpeas and lentils, lettuce, cucumbers
and onions were passed around. In the Old Kingdom, about 15
varieties of bread could have been served; by the New Kingdom,
there were 40 names for breads, cakes and biscuits. Guests had an
amazing number of specialties to select from.
Usually guests dined from their own little tables while sitting
on benches, and ate off of attractive implements such as bowls,
plates and cups made from blue faience with lotus designs.
There was also wine and beer—and plenty of it. Archaeologists
have found jugs with the date and type of wine, the estate where
it was stored, the vineyard and the vintner.
Let the music begin
Without music and dance, no banquet was possible. From what we
see on tomb paintings, music and dance played a big part in the
lives of the ancient Egyptians—both in secular and religious
activities. Male and female dancers and musicians would excite the
festivities with harps, lyres and lutes (all string instruments)
and the oboe (most often played by women) and drums to keep up
beat of the music and the hearts of the guests. At the banquet,
guests would be treated to dancing girls wearing jewels and lithe
acrobats who twisted, jumped and turned. The musicians encouraged
the guests to join in by chanting, clapping or playing tambourines
or cymbals.
The Egyptians did prepare for the afterlife, but that’s
because they hoped for nothing less than the joy they experienced
in their lives on earth. And parties were a big part of that joy
of life. A very poignant statement on an unknown Egyptian tomb
advises the living, "With a beaming face, celebrate the
joyful day and rest not therein. For no one can take away his
goods with him. Yea, no one returns again, who has gone
hence." Who could say it better than an ancient Egyptian?
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