Last Sunday, July 7, Nubians all over the world, including myself here in Washington D.C., came together for International Nubian Day, which is an important event celebrating Nubian’s culture and heritage.Nubia is one of the earliest civilizations of ancient Africa, and therefore, of the world, with a history that can be traced from at least 10000 BC. Nubians used to live along the bank of the Nile, in the area that today lies between southern Egypt and northern Sudan, stretching from the first Nile cataract to the sixth cataract, before they were displaced from their old land, due to the building of the dams across the Nile.Nubians have their own African culture and language and especially in the last decades we as a people had to work hard to develop and evolve our culture to make sure we protect and preserve it, and also educate others about its existence.In 2004, at the Nubian culture forum, the idea to celebrate International Nubian Day was suggested. This particular day was chosen because of the symbolic significance of the number 7 in Nubian culture, in the Nubian language we call it “Koloda”: Our wedding celebrations extend to 7 days, the baptizing ceremony occurs seven days after birth, when women gather together and carry the baby to the Nile, where they wash the infant’s face seven times, and there are ceremonies we hold seven days after the death of a loved one.
Since 2004, on the seventh of the seventh month of the year, we celebrate International Nubian Day every year. Below are some photos showing a group of Nubians from the Washington D.C. area coming together in Meridian Hill Park.
If you have any questions or would like to learn more about Nubian issues find me at @muhamedazmy on Twitter.
