Akitu was the ancient Babylonian New Year festival that lasted about 12 days.
Akitu was celebrated in Mesopotamia and is documented particularly clearly at Babylon. It was linked to the spring agricultural cycle and to the renewal of kingship and cosmic order. The festival was dedicated to major Mesopotamian deities, especially Marduk in Babylon.
Rituals included processions, prayers, sacred readings, and the movement of divine statues between temples. The king played an important ceremonial role, emphasizing the relationship between royal authority, the gods, and the continued prosperity of the land.
Akitu is sometimes described as the world’s oldest New Year festival, but that wording should be treated carefully because ancient calendars and the meaning of “New Year” varied by culture. It is nevertheless one of the best-documented early New Year observances and a major source for understanding Mesopotamian religion.