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The Flooding of the Nile (Arabic: عيد وفاء النيل) was an important cycle in Egypt. It is celebrated by Egyptians as an annual holiday for two weeks starting August 15, known as Wafaa El-Nil. It is also celebrated in the Coptic Church by ceremonially throwing a martyr's relic into the river. Hence the name Esba` al-shahīd (the martyr's finger). Ancient Egyptians believed that the Nile flooded every year because of Isis's tears of sorrow for her dead husband, Osiris.
The three stages of the Egyptian flood cycle were Akhet, the time of the Nile flood, Peret, the sowing time, and Shemu, the time of harvest. The flood cycle was so predictable that the Egyptians even based their ancient calendar on it. Akhet was the first season of the year. Peret or the Egyptian Autumn season marked the time when their crops grew in the fields and were harvested,[1] running from October to mid-February. Shemu was the third and last season of the Egyptian year which ran from mid-February until the end of May; it essentially signalled the spring season of the Egyptian calendar.[2]
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The Nile Inundation
The Egyptians were only able to make permanent settlements due to the Nile River. The Nile river flows from south to north. The Nile would flood each year, bringing in silt-laden waters. When the waters receded the silt would stay behind, fertilizing the land. If a flood was too large it would wash over mud dikes protecting a village. If there was a small flood or no flood at all it would mean famine. A flood needs to be just right for it to be a good season.
Hapi-The god behind it all
The Egyptians believed in a god known as Hapi. Hapi was the god of the River’s flood. Hapi was a deity of fertility - he provided water, food and the yearly floods of the Nile. He was also sometimes known as ‘Lord of the Fishes and the tawny and alyssa gods.Birds of the Marshes.’ This indicated he provided the animals to the people of Egypt along with the Nile as well. Without Hapi, Egypt would have died, and so he was sometimes praised more than Ra, the sun god.
The real reason behind the inundation
The ancient Egyptians did not realise that the flood actually came due to rains on the mountains to the south. This would swell the different tributaries and other rivers that joined and became the Nile River. This happened on a yearly basis between the months of June and September, until the construction of the High dam at Aswan. The Egyptians called this season, akhet - the inundation. The flood was seen as the yearly coming of the god Hapi, bringing fertility to the land.
End of the flooding
In 1970, with the completion of the High Dam at Aswan, the annual flooding cycle in Egypt came to an end. Today, farmers must use fertilizers to keep their land productive, as the deposits of silt no longer occur each year.
References
- Gill, Anton (2003). Ancient Egyptians: The Kingdom of the Pharaohs brought to Life. Harper Collins Entertainment.
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