Learn more about Easter traditions in Egypt.
- When is Easter in Egypt?
- How does Egypt celebrate Easter?
- The feast of Sham el-Nessim – Why is Sham el Nessim celebrated?
- Conclusion – Easter trips to experience traditions
Easter is known to be a Christian festival; in Egypt, most of the population belongs to Islam. In the land of the pharaohs, however, these two seemingly incompatible contradictions are no reason not to celebrate Easter together – even if for different occasions.
However, if you take a closer look, you will see some amazing parallels at the Easter of Christians and the originally pharaonic Sham el Nassem festival that all Egyptians celebrate, which are not just purely coincidental.
Easter Monday has always been a public holiday in Egypt as it traditionally coincides with Sham el Nassem. Sham el Nassem is the Muslim spring festival with which the descendants of the pharaohs celebrated the end of winter. The customs and rituals used, the painting and eating of colored eggs, as well as fish pickled in salt, can be traced back to the pharaohs.
Eggs and fish are ancient pharaonic symbols that are associated with the god “Bramhat” – the god of eternity and survival. The egg is a symbol of rebirth – in the Pharaonic tradition as well as in Christianity. Salty fish indicate the mummification process that guarantees eternity and continued life. And the fish is also an ancient Christian symbol for Jesus.
Egyptian Copts articulate their joy in the resurrection of Jesus, just as they were always happy about the return of spring.
When is Easter in Egypt?
In Egypt, the day after Easter is known as Sham El Nessim, a national festival of the beginning of spring that dates back to ancient Egypt. In Egypt, Coptic Easter Monday is celebrated on the same day as Orthodox Easter Monday. The day is part of a broader spring festival called Sham El Nessim and a national holiday.
The date differs from Western Easter as the other Christian churches base the date of calculating Easter on the Gregorian calendar. But the Eastern Orthodox Church still uses the earlier Julian calendar to calculate feast dates, including Easter.
Easter is a religious festival that celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. Most Christians celebrate this day as a public holiday by taking a day off for the general population, schools, and most businesses. The event is based on the Julian calendar, like in Western countries. During this time, both Christians involved egg hunting, the myth of the legendary Easter Bunny, followed by Eastern parades with a variation on delicious Easter
How does Egypt celebrate Easter? Easter traditions in Egypt.
Easter in Egypt is the high season for any true world traveler who dreams of traveling to the land of beauty. For more than 4000 years, ancient Egyptian civilization was able to attain immortality by discovering some of the earliest concepts of art and science and was able to take human conditions to new heights.
The ancient Egyptians were able to create some of the most incredible monuments and artifacts in the world, gaining immortality from the Pharaonic to the Coptic to the Islamic era.
Many Orthodox churches base their Easter date on the Julian calendar, which is often different from the Gregorian calendar used in many Western countries. Therefore, Orthodox Easter is often later than Easter, which is around March. Coptic Easter Sunday is a public holiday. It is a day off for the general population and schools and most shops are closed.
Already the ancient Egyptians offered salted fish, lettuce, and onions to their deities during the spring festival known as Shemu. After the Christianization of Egypt, the feast was associated with Easter, because it also happened in the spring
With the Islamic conquest of Egypt, the party was established on Easter Monday. Being the lunar Islamic calendar and therefore not fixed concerning the solar year, the date of Sham el-Nessim remained that linked to Christianity.
Common traditions in Egypt before Easter:
The Coptic Easter celebrations begin on Saturday evening with a ceremony that includes reading the psalm, singing the sacred hymns, and infusing the incense.
During the ceremony, all lights are turned off and on only when the resurrection is recalled. During Easter Sunday, the faithful go to church, visit relatives, exchange gifts and organize nice picnics in the open air in the most beautiful parks in the city, which are filled with festivals during this period.
