Egyptian holiday with ancient origins, celebrating the natural cycle of the Nile; it is held during two weeks annually starting August 15. In Ancient Egypt, the flooding was associated with the tears of Isis for Osiris, her deceased husband. In the Coptic Church the ritual includes ceremonially throwing a martyr's relic into the river. With the construction of High Dam at Aswan, the annual flooding cycle in Egypt came to an end in 1970.
