Egypt Pubic Holidays

CHRISTMAS is celebrated on the 6 and 7th of January. On the night of the 6, the Coptic Christians go to the church around 10 o'clock for the holy mess and at midnight they eat dinner which includes a turkey. On the morning of the 7th gifts are exchanged and then the young children visit their grandparents and have the Christmas lunch at their place.

Another special holiday is EID EL FETR which comes after Ramadan.. People eat special cookies. One of them is posted in the recipes section. Also, there is Eid El Adha, this holiday is also for the Muslim Egyptians. It is a four days holiday, on the first day at dawn all men, (and women if they want to), go to the mosque to pray. Every family slaughter a sheep, which they have already bought, and take some of its meat and donate the majority of the meat to the poor. Then they have a late breakfast which includes "Fata". "Fata" is formed of meat, bread, rice and vinegar. Then the young families visit the grandparents and relatives then they all gather at the eldest of the family and have lunch.
The remaining three days, usually you are invited to lunch at uncles, aunts, or friends.

SHAM EL NESSIM which comes immediately after Easter; so, it always occurs on Monday. Egyptians have been celebrating Sham El-Nessim (or Spring Day) for more than 4500 years. It is called Sham El-Nessim because the harvest season in ancient Egypt was called "Shamo". In Arabic, Sham means smell and El-Nessim means air.

In ancient Egypt, Egyptians used to offer salted fish, lettuce and onion to Egyptian deities in this festivity. The same kinds of food are still eaten in Egypt on this day, as a tradition giving the day a special taste.

Lettuce represents the feeling of hopefulness at the beginning of spring. As for eggs, they symbolize the renewal of life in this season. Many people dye eggs in delightful colors. It is believed that ancient Egyptians were the first to practice this habit. Salted fishes are also eaten on this day because they symbolize fertility and welfare.

ARMED FORCES DAY is on October 6. It is the celebration of the Egyptian army's crossing into Sinai in 1973.

THE MULID EL NABWY is an Islamic holiday which is celebrated according to the Islamic lunar calendar. Mulid El Nabawy means the birthday of the prophet. It is celebrated by making special candies and selling them in the streets and at candies stores. The candies are pink and are usually under the shape of a horse or a doll. People wear their best clothes and families get together to celebrate this day. Decorations are found on the streets and on buildings. Mulid El Nabawy is the equivalent of Christmas