Festivals in Egypt

Sham el nessim Sham el nessim is an Egyptian national holiday marking the beginning of spring. The holiday is celebrated by Egyptians regardless of religion. The name of the holiday is derived from the Egyptian name of the Harvest Season, known as Shemu, which means a day of creation, the Ancient Egyptians used to offer salted fish, lettuce, and onions to their deities on this day The name of the holiday is derived from the Egyptian name of the Harvest Season, known as Shemu, which means a day of creation, the Ancient Egyptians used to offer salted fish, lettuce, and onions to their deities on this day.

The modern Sham elnisim is celebrated by both Christians and Muslims, so it is considered a national festival, rather than a religious one. The main features of the festival are:- *People spend all day out picnicking in any space of green, public gardens, on the Nile, or at the zoo. *Traditional food eaten on this day consists mainly of (a salted Grey Mullet), lettuce, scallions or green onions, and colored boiled eggs.

Eid al-Adha Eid al-Adha also called Feast of the Sacrifice, the Major Festival, the Greater Eid, is the second of two religious holidays celebrated by Muslims worldwide each year. It honors the willingness of the prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his young first-born son Ismail a as an act of submission to Allah's command and his son's acceptance to being sacrificed, before Allah intervened to provide Abraham with a Lamb to sacrifice instead. In the lunar Islamic calendar, Eid al-Adha falls on the 10th day of Dhu al-Hijjah and lasts for four days.

Eid al-Adha is the latter of the two Eid holidays, the former being Eid al-Fitr. The basis for the Eid al- Adha comes from the 196th verse of the 2nd sura of the Quran. The word "Eid" appears once in the 5th sura of the Quran, with the meaning "solemn festival". Like Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha begins with a Sunnah prayer of two rakats followed by a sermon (khu ṭ bah). Eid al-Adha celebrations start after the descent of the Hajj from Mount Arafat, a hill east of Mecca. Ritual observance of the holiday lasts until sunset of the 12th day of Dhu al-Hijjah. Eid sacrifice may take place until sunset on the 13th day of Dhu al-Hijjah. The days of Eid have been singled out in the Hadith as "days of remembrance".

Eid al-Fitr Eid al-Fitr also called Feast of Breaking the Fast, the Sugar Feast, the Sweet Festival and the Lesser Eid, is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting (sawm). The religious Eid is a single day and Muslims are not permitted to fast on that day. The holiday celebrates the conclusion of the 29 or 30 days of dawn-to-sunset fasting during the entire month of Ramadan. The day of Eid, therefore, falls on the first day of the month of Shawwal. This is a day when Muslims around the world show a common goal of unity. The date for the start of any lunar Hijri month varies based on the observation of new moon by local religious authorities, so the exact day of celebration varies by locality. However in most countries, it is generally celebrated on the same day as Saudi Arabia.

Eid al-Fitr has a particular Salat (Islamic prayer) consisting of two Rakats (units) and generally offered in an open field or large hall. It may be performed only in congregation and, has an additional extra six Takbirs (raising of the hands to the ears while saying "Allāhu Akbar", literally "God is greatest"), three of them in the beginning of the first raka'ah and three of them just before Ruku' in the second raka'ah in the Hanafi school of Sunni Islam.

Other Sunni schools usually have twelve Takbirs, seven in the first, and five at the beginning of the second raka'ah. This Eid al-Fitr salat is, depending on which juristic opinion is followed. Muslims believe that they are commanded by God, as mentioned in the Quran, to continue their fast until the last day of Ramadan and pay the Zakat and fitra before offering the Eid prayers.

Eid al-Fitr is a three-day feast and an official holiday in Egypt with vacations for schools, universities and government offices. Some stores and restaurants are also closed during Eid. The Eid day starts with a small snack followed by Eid prayers in congregation attended by men, women and children in which the sermon reminds Egyptians of the virtues and good deeds they should do unto others, even strangers, during Eid and throughout the year.

Afterwards, neighbors, friends and relatives start greeting one another. The most common greeting is "Eid Mubarak" (Blessed Eid). Family visits are considered a must on the first day of the Eid, so they have the other two days to enjoy by going to parks, cinemas, theatres or the beaches. Egyptians like to celebrate with others so the streets are always crowded during the days and nights of Eid.

Children are normally given new clothes to wear throughout the Eid. Also, women (particularly mothers, wives, sisters and daughters) are commonly given special gifts by their loved ones. It is customary for children to also receive a Eid-ey-yah from their adult relatives. This is a small sum of money that the children receive and is used to spend on all their activities throughout the Eid. Children will wear their new clothes and go out to amusement parks, gardens or public courtyards based on how much their Eidyah affords.

Student work in Class: 1\3 Edited by Student: Mayar khaled Mohammed. school: Alaqbat prep school. Under the supervision of: Mrs. Shaima.