Leylet en Nuktah is a special day in the traditional Egyptian calendar and according to the Coptic calendar, it is observed on the 17th of June every
year. The day marks the first day of the rising of water level in the Nile River prior to the flooding of the Nile valley and delta. The river Nile is the lifeline of the Egyptians since thousands of years and without this river, Egypt would have been entirely a stretch of desert just like the Desert of Sahara. The flooding of the Nile valley causes the deposition of fertile silt, which was the reason behind the successful harvest. The Leylet en Nuktah is hence a very important day in terms of ancient traditions of Egypt.
Usually, though a day is fixed for the rising of Nile's water, the significant changes are observed some few days later.The actual day of rising of the water level is somewhat close to the summer solstice. In the ancient times, the norm was that, if the phenomenon was delayed, attractive Egyptian women had to be sacrificed in the river. The belief was that the river God had to be satiated or else the flood would fail and this would result in failure of harvest. According to the Coptic calendar, the
Leylet en Nuktah is observed every year on Payni 11th.
