As
each month in Egypt had thirty days, during the year you would end up five days
short. These stood for five
mystical days of creation.
These five the Egyptians now call the epagomenal days and on them they celebrate
the gods' birthdays.
For
they say that on the first day Osiris was born and that as he was delivered a
voice cried out that the Lord of All was coming to the light of day. Some say
that one Pamyle, who was fetching water at Thebes, heard a voice from the temple
of
Zeus instructing her to cry out loudly that the great king and benefactor,
Osiris, had been born; and that because of this she brought up Osiris.”
Plutarch.
De Iside et Osiride. 12