Happy Easter
Egyptians celebrate the day of Sham al-Naseem, a feast with ancient Egyptian origins. Some believe that the word "shamm" comes from the ancient Egyptian word "shimuu" which is the season (harvest or summer) which begins from the month of Baramhat. The cemetery of "Mery-ruka" in Saqqara indicated that the ancient Egyptians divided the year into three seasons , the first of them is the flood. It is called in the old hieroglyphic "Akht", the second is summer it's called "Shimuu" and then the third season is "Prt" which is called winter.
The Shimuu season (harvest or summer) is the season in which ancient Egyptians ask about life (Ankh), which is the beginning of life. after that, throughout the ages. The celebration continued with spring, but the word "Shimuu" was distorted into "sham" in the Coptic era , then was added the word "breeze" because of the spring breezes in the beautiful weather.
Therefore, all foods associated with this feast refer to the resurrection of life, these foods that the ancient Egyptians were keen to eat at the celebration of the feast (eggs, fishes, lettuce, onion, malana) ..
Egyptian foods of a special nature and ancient Egyptian connotations.
Eggs.
The egg symbolizes the creation of life from idols, and some of the papyrus indicated that the God Ptah - the creation god - was sitting on the ground in the shape of the egg that he formed from inanimate objects, so the Egyptians were engraving on eggs their calls and wishes for the New Year and laying eggs in baskets of Palm fronds hang them in the balconies of houses or in the branches of trees; to receive the blessings of the light of God at his sunrise and fulfill their wishes.
Al-Faisekh "ٍSalted Fish"
As for Faisekh or "salted fish," Herodotus, a Greek historian who visited Egypt in the fifth century BC, said that the Egyptians used to eat salted fish in their festivals, because they showed great skill in keeping, drying and salting fish.
Onion .
The onion was also among the foods that the ancient Egyptians were keen to eat on that occasion. The onions were associated with the resurgence of life, the suppression of death and the overcoming of the disease. They hung the onions in the houses and on the balconies.
Lettuce.
"Lettuce" was known since the fourth Egyptian Dynasty , and was called in Hieroglyphic "3bw". The ancient Egyptians considered it a sacred plant, because it was the symbol of God "MEEN" the god of fertility and reproduction according to ancient Egyptian beliefs.
