History of Sham El-Nessim
Sham El-Nessim is celebrated by Egyptians of all religions as it is based on a spring festival that predates both Christianity and Islam.
Sham El-Nessim can be dated back to ancient Egypt to at least 2700 BCE (the third dynasty of the Old Kingdom) and is a festival that celebrates the arrival of Spring. The changing of the seasons and in particular the effect on the Nile would have been important events in the life of all Egyptians, and the close and start of prosperous agricultural seasons would have been a ket celebration.
Sham El-Nessim, translates from Arabic as 'smelling the breeze', though this is a nice sound-alike coincidence as the name of the festival comes from the Egyptian name for the harvest season - 'Shamo' meaning renewal of life.
When Egypt became a mainly Christian country under the rule of the Roman Empire, rather than replace existing festivals, Shamo was simply integrated into the Christian Easter celebrations.
When Egypt then became a predominately Arab country, the holiday gained the name 'Sham El-Nessim', which means 'smelling the breeze'. It stayed on its Easter date as that is based on a Lunar cycle like most Muslim festivals.
Due to the pleasant weather at this time of year, the holiday is often celebrated by families with a trip to the park.
The dish most closely associated with Sham El-Nessim is Feseekh, salted fish (usually grey mullet, but can also be mackerel or sardines) eaten with spring onions. It's worth mentioning that numerous cases of food poisoning from eating Feseekh are reported each year, so always buy fiseekh from an established fasakhany (seafood restaurant) and never buy it from a street seller.
Like many other Spring festivals, eggs (as symbols of rebirth) are a key part of Sham El-Nessim celebrations. Apart from the painting and decorating of eggs, one custom is the writing of wishes on eggs and then hanging them in baskets from trees and houses, in the hope the gods would answer the wishes.
