“O lady of the river, take this sacrifice to the watery depths, and spare us from your wrath.”
The Easter weekend is upon us, and while most Riverlanders are celebrating with chocolate eggs, this small Church in Berri has a rather unique way of starting the holiday.
“It is a sacred tradition that dates back to the 1950’s.”
“While our church was built on the foundation of appeasing the River Lady, it wasn’t until the devastating flood of 1956 where we realised her true power.” Head Priest Walter Monza said.
“After seeing the damage that our region sustained from the floodwater, we knew something drastic had to be done, and so we began the annual tradition of delivering sacrifices into the Murray River to ward off the River Lady’s wrath.” Priest Walter continued.
But who exactly is the River Lady?
The church believes the River Lady to be a powerful entity that lives beneath the Murray River, controlling the flow of water. This ‘River Lady’ must also be given offerings, generally human or animal sacrifices, in order to prevent her from creating rising water levels and flooding the land.
“While we don’t fully understand her or her motives, we do know that since we began the tradition of feeding her, she has not unleashed her wrath to the degree of the 1956 flood, and because of that we know what we are doing is working.” Priest Walter said.
The Riverlanderer will update as this story develops.
The Riverlanderer 