Season of the Harvest
| Season of Low Water Šmw in hieroglyphs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
The Season of the Harvest or Low Water was the third and final season of the lunar and civil Egyptian calendars. It fell after the Season of the Emergence (Prt) and before the spiritually dangerous intercalary month (Ḥryw Rnpt), after which the New Year's festivities began the Season of the Inundation (Ꜣḫt). In the Coptic and Egyptian calendars this season begins at the start of the month of Pashons (about 9 May), continues through the months of Paoni and Epip, before concluding at the end of Mesori (about 5 September).: 453
The festival known as Sham Ennessim, is often claimed to have originated from Shemu. Sham Ennessim is an official holiday in modern Egypt. Earlier Egyptian šm.w and its Coptic successor ϣⲱⲙ relate to the name of a season in Egyptian, not a specific festival.