Egyptians celebrate Wafaa El-Nil “Fidelity of the Nile"” on August 15 every year.
What is meant by Wafaa El-Nil?
Since the dawn of recorded history, the Nile and its inundation have been to all the Nile valley inhabitants their life cord and the locus of their social, economic, and cultural activities and ceremonies from birth till death.
This explains why Hapy, the Pharaonic Nile god, addressed as the “Father of the Gods,” held unrivalled position among the gods of ancient Egypt. He was worshipped and feared for his unpredictable powers associated with creation, renewal, and fertility and also with destruction and drought. Pharaohs and commoners paid him lavish honors.
The ancient Egyptians took care of the Nile since the dawn of time.
They built scales to measure the annual flood; they illustrated it in their inscriptions in the form of the god Hapi, and depicted him carrying food and drinks to a table and laying his feet on the land of Egypt to indicate the good that the river carries to Egypt every year with its flood. The flood was celebrated every year in ancient times and they recorded the celebrations on papyrus. They made the festivals and celebration for this river.
One of the important myths related to Wafaa El-Nil anniversary was the ancient Egyptians’ custom to offer a virgin as a sacrifice to the river Nile every year to instigate a flood.
The Egyptians believed that the Nile flooded every year because of Isis's tears of sorrow for her dead husband, Osiris.
The ancient Egyptian year is pided into three seasons: flooding, planting and harvesting, each taking four months. Due to the importance of the Nile flood, The Pharaohs created two Nile-meters to measure water levels in Aswan.
According to ancient mythology, the Nile flood is none other than the tears of Isis, who was mourning the death of her beloved husband Osiris, whilst trying to put together his body parts that were shredded to pieces by his evil brother Seth.
The ancient Egyptians illustrated the Nile in their inscriptions in the form of the god Hapi, and depicted him carrying food and drinks to a table and laying his feet on the land of Egypt to indicate the good that the river carries to Egypt every year with its flood.
The flood was celebrated every year in ancient times and they recorded the celebrations on papyrus.
On this occasion, Egyptians have never thrown a human sacrifice into the Nile (often referred to as the 'bride of the Nile').
The ancient legend has survived into an ongoing tradition where a wooden doll dressed as a bride is thrown into the Nile instead.
Today, and as their great ancestors did, Egyptians still celebrate the Nile Flood day, as they prepare boats designed in Pharaonic style, sailing on the river waters, with flowers, joyful chants and dances, colorful costumes, thanking their great river for his loyalty, and promising the same in great love.
Translated by Hassanain Tayea
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