Navigium Isidis

The Navigium Isidis or Isidis Navigium (trans. the vessel of Isis)^[1] was an annual ancient Roman religious festival in honor of the goddess Isis,^[2] held on March 5.^[3] The festival outlived Christian persecution by Theodosius (391) and Arcadius' persecution against the Roman religion (395).^[4]

Fresco with the Navigium Isidis (Naples National Archaeological Museum)

In the Roman Empire, it was still celebrated in Italy at least until the year 416.^[5] In Egypt, it was suppressed by Christian authorities in the 6th century.^[5]

The Navigium Isidis celebrated Isis' influence over the sea and served as a prayer for the safety of seafarers and, eventually, of the Roman people and their leaders.^[6] It consisted of an elaborate procession, including Isiac priests and devotees with a wide variety of costumes and sacred emblems, carrying a model ship from the local Isis temple to the sea^[7] or to a nearby river.^[8]

Modern carnival resembles the festival of the Navigium Isidis,^[1] and some scholars argue that they share the same origin (via carrus navalis, meaning naval wagon, i.e. float – later becoming car-nival).^{[9][10][11][12][13]} Many elements of Carnival were in turn appropriated in the Corpus Christi festival, most prominently in the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal).^[14]

See also

• Mysteries of Isis
• Foreign influences on Pompeii