Religious festivals have featured as a central aspect of civilization for thousands of years, the earliest thought to be celebrations of the New Year and the concept of rebirth and new beginnings that accompanied it. The first such festival to be recorded is the Akitu festival at Babylon c. 2000 BCE.
The Akitu festival, a celebration of the New Year, evolved from the Sumerian celebration known as Zagmuk. Whether Zagmuk was the first such festival observed in the world is debated as there could have been others much older celebrated by the Indus Valley Civilization which are unknown as their script has not been deciphered. Most likely, as with dogs in the ancient world, religious festivals developed in various civilizations independently and were probably based on earlier, prehistoric, observances.
The following gallery presents only a small sample of worldwide religious festivals ranging from the Mesopotamian Akitu through the North American Sun Dance and Celtic Pagan sabbats designated by the Wheel of the Year. Those festivals still observed today adhere to the paradigm of the ancient rites in celebrating rebirth, renewal, and transformation.
