Archaeologists in Luxor while undertaking excavations at a temple dedicated to goddess Mut, have come across evidence of a mass siance by ancient Egyptians, who marked the first month of their new year by singing, dancing and drinking red beer until they passed out. <br />
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The ritual known as the Festival of Drunkenness was however not a social occasion for them and people did not come to enjoy themselves, said Betsy Brian, the chair of the Near Eastern Studies Department at Johns Hopkins University, who led the excavation. <br />
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"They drank to enter an altered state so that they might witness the epiphany of a deity. In general, the ancient Egyptians frowned upon drunkenness, but they would come together to drink for a specific purpose," said Betsy.<br />
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