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Sham El Nessim

in Festivals, Public and National Holidays

Overview

Date: 05/06/2013

Description

The holiday known as Sham el Nessim, or literally, smelling the breeze is one of them. Sham el Nessim seems to be a holiday as old as Egypt, which may have been celebrated as early as 4,500 years ago.

Sham el Nessim falls on the first Monday following the Coptic Easter. It was related to agriculture in ancient Egypt which contained fertility rites that were later attached to Christianity and the celebration of Easter. It marks the beginning of spring, and therefore, it is the spring festival of Egyptians and it becomes a national holiday.

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.


On Sham el Nessim, families start at dawn preparing their food, then go for picnic and enjoy the breeze of spring, which on that day they believe to have a wonderfully beneficial effect. Millions are out; some dine in the country and some celebrate on boats on the river. In Cairo where there are few public parks and open areas, people crowd all the lawns they could find.



Sham el Nessim is also celebrated by eating traditional foods. Traditional food eaten on this day consists mainly of scallion (or green onions), Fiseekh (smelly salted fish), boiled colored eggs, lettuce and termis (Lupini Beans).

Green onions seem to have a special significance in the occasion. It has been found in ancient times. Scallions (green onions) first appeared on the festive menu at the end of the 6th Dynasty, mentioned in papyrus relating to legends of Old Memphis: "It is said that one of the pharaohs had an only child who was so much loved by the people. The young prince was struck down by an unknown disease and bed-ridden for years, during which time the people abstained from celebrating festivals in sympathy for the king and his son.

The king summoned the archpriest, who diagnosed the boy' s sickness as having been caused by evil spirits. The priest ordered that a ripe spring onion be placed under the patient' s head. The priest sliced a second onion and put it on the boy' s nose so that he would breathe in the vapors. The papyrus text says that the prince soon recovered and festivities were held in the palace to mark the occasion which coincided with the beginning of spring season. As a goodwill gesture for their king, the people hung bunches of scallion over the doors of their houses, which explains how it came to be a main item on the table at Sham El Nessim."

To the modern Egyptian, they served a different purpose. They keep the evil eye away and prevent envy. They are also good for one' s health.

Salted fish has been a symbol of welfare to Egyptians. It was believed that offerings of fish were made to the ancient gods to ensure a good harvest. Salted fish symbolized to the ancient Egyptians fertility and welfare. Fish were abundant when the waters receded from the Nile flood. Today, the Egyptian people celebrate the festival by eating a smelly fish called fiseekh. The fish is prepared in a traditional process that is considered almost an art. Such process is passed from one generation to another to ensure its quality.

Eggs are another must for the day. They symbolize new life, which Egyptians believe they could bring luck. Before going out to "smell the breeze," the first thing an Egyptian family does is coloring eggs. They use water colors and then put the dyed eggs in the sun to dry.

Termis and lettuce are harvested in late winter/early spring, which represent the feeling of the hopefulness at the beginning of the spring.