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'''Akitu''' or '''Akitum''' (Chaldean Akkadian and Summerian languages: {{sc|ezen á.ki.tum}}, ''akiti-šekinku'', {{sc|á.ki.ti.še.gur₁₀.ku₅}}, {{abbr|lit.|Literally}} "the barley-cutting",{{citation needed|date=February 2015}} ''akiti-šununum'', {{abbr|lit.|Literally}} "barley-sowing"; [[Akkadian language|Akkadian]]: ''{{lang|akk-Latn|akitu}}'' or ''{{lang|akk-Latn|rêš-šattim}}'', "head of the year") was a [[spring festival]] in ancient [[Mesopotamia]].The Chaldean Babylonian Akitu festival was celebrated originally in Babylon and has played a pivotal role in the Chaldean heritage and development of rituals. An important event marking the beginning of new Spring in Mesopotamia by the Chaldean people.<ref>The Chaldean Babylonian Akitu Festival: Rectifying the King or Renewing the Cosmos? (n.d.): n. pag. Web.</ref>
[[File:Akitu Festival 7317.jpg|thumb|Akitu Festival by Chaldeans of Babylon]]
Following the first new moon after the vernal equinox in late March, the Chaldean Babylonians of Mesopotamia would honor the rebirth of the natural world with a multi-day festival called Akitu. This early New Year’s celebration dates back to around 5700 B.C., and is believed to have been deeply intertwined with religion and mythology. During the Akitu, statues of the gods were paraded through the city streets, and rites were enacted to symbolize their victory over the forces of chaos. Through these rituals the Babylonians believed the world was symbolically cleansed and recreated by the gods in preparation for the new year and the return of spring.
The festival - better: conglomerate of festivities - was celebrated on two locations in Babylon: in the temple of the supreme god Marduk, the Esagila, and the 'house of the New year' which was situated north of the city. The two gods who were in the center of the festival were Nabû and his father, the supreme god Marduk, who was in the first millennium BCE usually called 'Bêl', Lord, because his real name was considered too holy to be pronounced.
One fascinating aspect of the Akitu involved a kind of ritual humiliation endured by the Babylonian king. This peculiar tradition saw the king brought before a statue of the god Marduk, stripped of his royal regalia and forced to swear that he had led the city with honor. A high priest would then slap the monarch and drag him by his ears in the hope of making him cry. If royal tears were shed, it was seen as a sign that Marduk was satisfied and had symbolically extended the king’s rule. Some historians have since argued that these political elements suggest the Akitu was used by the monarchy as a tool for reaffirming the king’s divine power over his people.
==Babylonian Akitu==
The Babylonian festival traditionally starts on 21 [[Adar]] - 1 [[Nisannu]]. March 21st to April 1st for 12 days.
The festival - better: conglomerate of festivities - was celebrated on two locations in Babylon: in the temple of the supreme god Marduk, the Esagila, and the 'house of the New year' which was situated north of the city. The two gods who were in the center of the festival were Nabû and his father, the supreme god Marduk, who was in the first millennium BCE usually called 'Bêl', Lord, because his real name was considered too holy to be pronounced.
===First to third Day===
