New Year traditions around the world. Islamic New Year and how the New Year is celebrated in Egypt

New Year in Egypt - 5.0 out of 5 based on 2 votes

Egypt is a state with a well-developed tourism industry. Everything for quality is here beach holiday with great diving and surfing. The exotic panorama and warm climate can please many, even demanding and sophisticated travelers.

Rich history of interest cultural heritage, known throughout the world. These are various monuments of architecture and art from different times: the pyramids, the Great Sphinx, Luxor. Anyone who comes to Egypt for the first time will be surprised by the abundance of temples and mosques. The capital of the state, Cairo, is even called the city of a thousand minarets.

New Year for tourists

New Year in European countries is identified with the first of January. The New Year holiday on January 1 is not traditionally significant for local residents. However, it is the Egyptians who do everything for their guests, so they organize a show program for them too. They will delight you with a Christmas tree decorated in traditional European style, Santa Claus, bright garlands, fireworks and other pyrotechnic novelties. They will also offer a lot of various entertainment related to the New Year holiday.

The holiday atmosphere is complemented by a wide variety of New Year's gifts and souvenirs for family and friends. The Red and Mediterranean seas, beaches and palm trees will make the holiday exotic and unforgettable.

The traditions and wishes of the guests will be taken into account so that they do not get bored and do not regret that in such important holiday are far from their home.

If you are worried that festive table there won't be any "herring under your fur coat", take the opportunity and enjoy the local traditional cuisine. Egypt has been famous since ancient times for agriculture, and the fertility of the land gave rise not only to an abundance of food, but also to ingenuity in preparing dishes. For example, you can try, a traditional dish Egyptians:

puff pastry torn into pieces is mixed with almonds, raisins, grated coconut and placed on a baking sheet. Then pour hot milk with sugar, top with whipped cream and bake in the oven. Serve hot.

Exotic in both desserts and snacks. Dishes national cuisine characterized by the absence of pork and the presence large quantity a variety of vegetables and fruits, nuts. Lamb, poultry and fish are used. The presence of a special tahini sauce, which is prepared from nuts, sesame seeds, olive oil And lemon juice. The dishes are richly flavored with spices and seasonings.

This is how they bake eggplants in Egypt

Stuffed pigeons

This is a few unusual dish- stuffed pigeons. Pigeons for these dishes are raised on special farms.

Kunafa

This dish will appeal to lovers of sweets - nuts inside a cocoon of caramel threads.

When do locals celebrate New Year in Egypt?

New Year local residents celebrated on August 15th. Related to this ancient tradition with the onset of the Nile River flood. The harvest, and therefore abundance for the whole year, depends on this event. Water during a spill is considered sacred, and everyone is simply obliged to fill their vessels with such water. On the eve of the flood, prayer services are held. On the first day - thanksgiving and offering of gifts to the gods revered by the Egyptians. Celebrate New Year, festive dinners V family circle or with friends, there are festivities and holiday programs, no less bright and cheerful than New Year's shows in European style.

The site wishes you a happy and bright New Year!

You can also read how New Year is celebrated in other cities and countries:

		To celebrate the New Year 2017, a 27-meter-high Christmas tree was installed in Vilyunes. I wonder what awaits residents and guests of the city in 2018.
		If you want your New Year's Eve to be memorable, then feel free to go to Georgia. People always wait for him here with special impatience.
		Wonderful and unique Finland is truly the most wonderful place to celebrate the New Year. If you have chosen this country for New Year's celebrations, You are not mistaken.
		If you want to celebrate the New Year in warm country, on the ocean shore, to plunge into the exotic, then New Year in Thailand is a great option!
		How and when to celebrate New Year in India Since many nationalities and religions are intertwined in India, the New Year is celebrated in a variety of ways, and several times a year.
		Each country has its own characteristics New Year and Christmas celebrations. In this article we'll talk about the peculiarities of France...

The country of pyramids, hot sun and desert. All this is little associated among residents of our latitudes with the celebration of the New Year. For us, accustomed to a snowy, frosty winter, it is difficult to imagine decorated Christmas trees on the hot beaches of the Mediterranean and Red Seas. The whole image of Egypt does not fit into the traditional feeling of the New Year.

But what if you break away from tradition for a while and try to experiment? Spend the New Year not among the snowdrifts, but among the hot exoticism of the Land of the Pharaohs?

Why Egypt?

According to research social networks and bloggers, Egypt ranks first among tourist countries where residents of certain countries strive to celebrate the New Year. Moreover, when coming to a resort, people, as a rule, want to escape from the bustle of the holidays and plunge into the world of sun and hot beaches. Last but not least is the weather, which pleasantly surprises with its warm and hot days. And the sea simply envelops you in sweet bliss, because the temperature of 28 degrees is simply a paradise for swimming.

TOP travel packages

Almost every tourist prefers or. These two cities are located in the very center of the country, therefore their equipment is at a top level. Here tourists will find fashionable hotels, ultra-fashionable restaurants and clubs where they can relax to the fullest, forgetting about the bustle of the world. Concerning temperature regime, the staff of each hotel writes numbers on a sign with chalk every day. As practice shows, these indicators do not change significantly from day to day, but in the evening there is a slight decrease.

Comes from ancient times

In the distant past, there was a tradition to celebrate the New Year on September 11th. It should be noted that the local population adheres to it to this day. As for tourists, they have firmly established the rule to celebrate this holiday on December 31, which goes against the usual way of life formed many years ago. However, representatives of the service sector easily accommodated the country’s guests, which is why we have developed entertainment programs on the territory of each hotel, and some have the opportunity to attend concerts where invited celebrities from different countries peace.

It is at this time of year that there is a great opportunity to see the sights of the country, because weather couldn't be more suitable for this. Moreover, it’s not just about the delights of the mysterious Nile, the tombs of the pharaoh or the mysterious pyramids. This is just a small taste of what Egypt has to offer us today. Even though the tradition of celebrating the New Year falls on a completely different date, the local population always welcomes the fun and joy that begins on December 31: bright and colorful fireworks, abundance and variety competitive programs- all this speaks in favor positive attitude to our usual way of life.

Few people know, but this holiday is celebrated in Egypt three times a year. Decoration of streets, houses and hotels begins around the beginning of December. Near each building there are thujas in cozy and miniature pots and the stars of Bethlehem, houseplants with scarlet leaves, which are among the most popular natural jewelry countries at this time of year. If you look into a flower shop, you will be presented with a huge variety of Dutch Christmas trees. Upon entering such a store, the visitor is greeted by Father Frost, or, as he is called in the French manner, “Papa Noel.”

The first celebration falls on Catholic Christmas Day. Then, naturally, both the local population and many tourists, as they say, “the whole world” plunge into the “fireworks” of the New Year. But relatively recently, January 7 began to be officially considered a holiday, because many Copts (as the indigenous inhabitants of the country are called) are Orthodox. The explanation is very simple: in the first century, the Apostle Mark, who taught in Alexandria, became a preacher of Christianity. To this day, festive services and religious processions can be seen in local churches. As for our compatriots who also want to give back to religious traditions, they can be found in the Temple of Demetrius of Thessalonica, which is located in Cairo.

New Year's attributes: where would we be without them?

But is it generally known in Egypt about the usual elements of celebrating the change of year? You will be surprised, but yes! In Egypt you can see Christmas trees and even Santa Clauses. True, all these attributes winter holiday, for the Egyptians themselves are more of a tribute to fashion. Celebrating the change of year on the night of December 31st to January 1st began here thanks to a large number tourists from Europe and other countries where New Year is celebrated on this day.

In large cities of Egypt, as early as early December, shop windows and hotels begin to be decorated with various New Year paraphernalia: artificial spruce branches, balls and garlands. In large cities of the country, the central streets are also decorated.

In Egypt you can also get a real Christmas tree. Forest beauties are brought to the Land of the Pharaohs from Holland and Denmark. Varied Christmas decorations In large cities of the country, buying is also not a problem. True, the city is decorated not with live spruce trees, but with thuja and “ Stars of Bethlehem" - this is a loud name for scarlet five-pointed flowers, very popular in Egypt during the New Year and Christmas holidays.

Another bright attribute of the Egyptian New Year is the large, bright sculptures of Father Frost or “Papa Noel” - this is the French name for the New Year's wizard.

In Egypt they also celebrate Catholic Christmas, which is celebrated on December 25th. It is celebrated here mainly by Catholic tourists and those foreigners who live permanently in the edge of the pyramids. And also here official holiday January 7 is considered to be Orthodox Christmas. It is celebrated here by the Copts, this is the name given to the local representatives of the eastern branch christian church. In Egypt they make up a significant part of the population - 7-8 million people.

Father Frost or Santa Claus?

How is Egyptian New Year different? First of all, the fact that together with Santa Claus is everyone's favorite here - Santa Claus, or Papa Noel, as they usually call it in the French manner. It turns out that you can order such a “Santa” for every hotel room. Of course, a grandfather with a white beard and a bright scarlet suit does not quite fit into the picturesque coastal climate, however, this does not diminish the joy of the children: believe me, there are no limits to happiness.

It turns out that many have long moved away from the usual traditions of celebrating the New Year. It is considered much more exotic to meet “new life” at the bottom of the sea or even on a safari. Within a short time you can quickly be transported to the territory of other resorts in the country. So, not far from Hurghada there is the Elguna resort. Sharm El-Sheikh also offers its tourists the opportunity to have a great time celebrating the New Year on the territory of a coral island, as well as take a ride on a boat equipped with a glass bottom. Then the delights of the seabed will become unforgettable for tourists! Therefore, guests of the country, coming to Egypt in winter, will become hostages of bright and colorful entertainment that will help make the New Year celebration an unforgettable adventure.

As you can see, new year holidays in Egypt you can celebrate on a grand scale. Just think how unusual and unforgettable New Year’s Eve will be, spent on the sandy shores of the Mediterranean or Red Sea, on the sun-warmed sand in the company of a beautiful Dutch Christmas tree. Surely you will remember such a New Year's Eve for a long time.

Date: 09/27/2017

A lot of information has survived to this day about the conditions in which the ancient Egyptians lived, and it is already clear that they were a hardworking people capable of great achievements. But at the same time, in Ancient Egypt there were many holidays, and some of them even survived into subsequent eras. Naturally, somewhat modified.

So, in particular, the Egyptians celebrated the New Year in the summer, or rather even on the nineteenth of July, and usually this holiday coincided with the beginning of the flood of the Nile River, the main river of the great state. A large amount of information about how the New Year holiday was celebrated has been preserved in the temples of Hathor and Horus, which are located in Dendera and Edfu, respectively. As you know, Hathor was considered the daughter of the sun god Ra, and she was a direct participant in the celebration, and the celebrations began two days before the new year.

The New Year holiday has survived to this day.

The main attention was paid to the high priest, who, surrounded by four prophets and a priest-musician, entered the “hall of flames” in order to lift the stone block blocking the passage to the crypt. There was a boat with a sculpture of the goddess Hathor, and the priest had to cleanse it. Then the statue was accompanied to the chapel under open air, and there the ceremony of laying the crown began, in which representatives of each of the eight gods of Hermopolis brought one crown. Before the onset of the celebration, a solemn procession was held annually, and after it the statue was installed inside the gazebo, and the curtains were lowered.

Only after the first ray of light appeared did the curtains need to be opened so that Hathor could dial again magical power, reunited with his father the god Ra. Modern scientists believe that it was the ancient Egyptians who came up with the New Year holiday, which has survived to this day. There are certain differences in the dates of this holiday, and even then it was celebrated in different ways, but the fact remains that we have to thank the ancient Egyptians for this holiday. During the celebration of the new year there was a lot of fun and dancing, solemn rituals and ceremonies. Everything was subordinated to the general idea of ​​persuading the gods to make people happier, harvests larger, and life more beautiful.

Become true national festivals? Do you want to know more about what April 25th or October 6th means for Egyptians? Do you have any idea what happens on Coptic Christmas, New Year's Day in this country? So you should definitely come here and personally take part in the fun festive events!

The Egyptians, like other nations, have their own holidays, which they sacredly honor and celebrate according to established traditions. centuries-old traditions. At the same time, the Egyptians are no strangers to those very ancient celebrations that were celebrated even before the division of the religion of this people into Christianity and Islam. In this regard, these days these holidays are celebrated by all Egyptians, regardless of their religious preferences.

One such archaic celebration is Shamm en-nasim, or translated as “the smell of the wind from the west.” Shamm en-nasim is celebrated in the spring; the ancient Egyptians called it “Opet” and associated it with the resurrection of all living things in nature. In the Coptic calendar, it comes after Coptic Easter, is celebrated on the first Monday after it, and coincides with Orthodox Easter.

According to a centuries-old tradition, on the day of Shamm en-nasim, all Egyptians, together with their large families, go into nature, having picnics near the water. Especially many people come to the Nile coast. appear on makeshift tables painted eggs, just like the Orthodox, green salad leaves, first onion, salted fish.

No one works on this day; it has been declared a national holiday, so everyone can take their time and indulge in peace and relaxation in nature. On this day, you should definitely eat a lot of sweets, give flowers, small gifts in the form of souvenirs.

Since since ancient times the Egyptians have revered the sacred waters of the Nile, then on this most important National holiday everyone tries to get acquainted with the great river by taking a ride along it on a boat or felucca.

Since Shamm en-nasim is celebrated with joy by both Muslims and Christians, it has come to be considered an unofficial personification of the unity of the entire Egyptian people. Apparently, it is for this reason that Shamm en-nasim did not fall into oblivion over the centuries, but was preserved as a great national tradition.

Egyptian New Year

The official beginning of the year for the Egyptians really falls on January 1, as well as throughout the world, but if we turn again to the origins of history, it turns out that the ancient Egyptians began counting down the new year with the flood of the noble Nile. They watched the rise of the sacred star Sirius, which foreshadowed the coming flood of the river. This period for the people living practically in the desert became a truly great holiday, with the onset of which the New Year began for the Egyptians, as a new blessed stage of life.

Nile water was reputed to be healing; it was collected in vessels, jugs and stored as holy water. During the Nile flood, local residents went to the houses of relatives and friends to pray together and thank the gods for the life-giving moisture given to them.

Before the onset of the New Year, the night of the god Ra was celebrated, the sun god overthrew the gods of darkness and darkness. The central figure in this case was Hathor, the daughter of Ra, the goddess of music and love. During the celebration of the Night of Ra, the Egyptians solemnly carried a boat through the streets, in which stood a statue of the goddess, and then the ceremony of placing Hathor on the roof of the temple took place.

The pharaoh himself and his courtiers always took part in the triumphal procession. The statue of Hathor was placed in a gazebo decorated with 12 columns, according to the number of months. At dawn, the first ray of the sun on the first day of the year fell on the statue, which was considered a blessing received from the god Ra for all of Egypt.

IN these days little has changed, many Egyptians, especially in villages, elderly or simply conservative, continue to celebrate the New Year in the old fashioned way. Therefore, on January 1, you will not see wild fun, colorful street decorations, or a wide scale, as in other countries.

The only people who rejoice at the European New Year are the staff of hotels and travel companies. Thousands of tourists craving exotic experiences flock to Egypt. For them, celebrating their favorite holiday in this unusual exotic country is an exquisite pleasure. After all, really, how great it is - in your homeland there is snow, frost, blizzards and Christmas trees, and in Egypt there is sand, a gentle sea, palm trees and pyramids.

Moreover, for foreign guests, travel agencies and hotel business workers organize the New Year in full - trees and interiors are generously and picturesquely decorated, streamers and garlands, Christmas tree tinsel and toys are hung everywhere. Here you can even buy a Christmas tree - real or artificial. Of course, natural spruce is not cheap, and only wealthy citizens can afford it. Basically, people buy artificial spruce and pine trees, or sometimes thuja.

But the most solemn and extremely popular plant here on New Year’s Day is the poinsettia. This magnificent flower with red-green foliage is used to decorate apartments, houses, offices and in general everything that is possible. Poinsettia is used as New Year's gift loved ones In addition to flora, in Egypt it is customary to give jewelry and jewelry, household appliances, electronics and clothing items.

Mawlud - Muslim holiday

If translated into Russian, Maulud means “birthday”, this holiday is religious and its history began from the day the Prophet Muhammad came into the world. Scientists cannot name the exact date his appearance, therefore today this holiday symbolizes both the birth of the prophet and the day of his death. He is both joyful and sorrowful.

The Mawlud holiday is celebrated according to the Muslim lunar calendar on the twelfth day of the month of Rabi ul-Awwal, this date is floating, it is determined by the decision of the imams. This day is declared a holiday; members of the country's government and its head participate in the Maulud celebration ceremony.

If we strictly approach the origin of Maulud, then it cannot be considered a canonical holiday; it began to be celebrated in the country only in 1207, much later than the occurrence Islam. It's more likely memorable date, a tribute to Muslim tradition. Egyptians greet Maulud primarily in prayers and good deeds, pleasing to God.

People remember the Prophet Muhammad, his good deeds and glorify him, and imams remind believers that they should not deviate from the prophet’s covenants. On this day, people actively serve beggars on the streets, engage in selfless and charitable deeds, and honor students are awarded with memorable signs.

Pious sadness and prayers do not at all interfere with having fun and rejoicing. Colored lanterns and garlands are hung on the streets, and cheerful processions with musical instruments, people offer each other treats in the form of sweets, as well as popular special sugar figurines depicting horsemen with spears or the “bride of Muhammad.”

Coptic Christmas in Egypt

Few people know that Copts are Egyptians who profess Christianity. This branch of the religion has been preserved since Pharaonic times; today Copts largely imitate Orthodoxy, although, if we strictly approach the canons of the Coptic Church, it is not Orthodox.

The Coptic Church has 400 Orthodox communities where Arabic and Coptic are spoken. All Copts wear a special tattoo on their right wrist, it represents a cross. The tattoo is applied to the hand after undergoing the baptism ceremony. The cross symbolizes that a person is ready to die as a martyr for his faith

Copts celebrate Christmas in the same way as Orthodox Christians - January 7th. In 2003, Coptic Christmas became an official holiday in Egypt, it is celebrated, as in Orthodox countries, with religious processions, solemn services. It is very interesting to listen to these services in a Coptic temple; they are not like the chants and prayers we are used to. After all, the origins of church music among the Copts date back to ancient Egyptian musical culture, and the instruments played in Coptic churches are akin to ancient instruments from the time of the pharaohs, so their unusual original sound is not at all what we are used to in Orthodox churches.

Pilgrimage from different countries is well developed in Egypt; for example, Russians and Ukrainians like to come here for Christmas. Pilgrims visit various holy places, for example, the Church of St. Sergius, where there was previously a grotto in which Mary and the newborn Jesus found shelter, Mount Sinai, the Monastery of St. Catherine with the Burning Bush.

In addition to religious events, Copts celebrate Christmas widely and cheerfully folk festivals, give gifts, organize abundant feasts with meat and sweets.

Egyptian holidays are classified in different ways. There are a number national holidays observed by all groups of the population. Since Islam is the state religion, Islamic holidays celebrated by all Egyptians. Christian holidays are not national (except Orthodox Christmas), however Christians are not prohibited from celebrating them.

In Egypt this day is a day off. And as a rule, relatives visit each other on this day or simply go to parks and recreation areas. Many shops are decorated with Christmas trees, toys and twinkling lights in anticipation of Western Christmas and New Year. All flower shops in Egypt are filled with special flowers for the New Year - poinsettia or as it is also called " Star of Bethlehem"- five-pointed large flowers of scarlet color.

In supermarkets you can buy a Christmas tree for every taste, decorations and other New Year's attributes.

However, the January 1 holiday is not perceived by many Egyptians as main holiday year, and it is not customary to celebrate it on such a grand scale as, for example, in Russia. Celebrating the New Year in a Western style can be considered a kind of fashion statement.

The only one interesting fact, which I learned that in Alexandria on the night from December 31 to January 1, there is such a tradition - people throw glass items - glasses, bottles, etc. - out of the windows of their houses and cars. Why, they do this, we couldn’t find out :) Probably for luck...
So, if you suddenly find yourself in Alexandria in New Year's Eve be careful:)

Islamic calendar - lunar calendar used in Islam to determine dates religious holidays, and also how official calendar in some Muslim countries. The calendar is calculated from the Hegira (July 16, 622 AD) - the date of the migration of the Prophet Muhammad and the first Muslims from Mecca to Medina. Therefore, in Muslim countries, the calendar is called the Hijri calendar (Arabic: at-taqwimu-l-Hijri).

Hijri is a lunar calendar, and a year in it is the duration of 12 revolutions of the Moon around the Earth. That is, it has 354 (355) days; 33 Hijra years are approximately equal to 32 solar years.
A year consists of 12 lunar months and contains about 354 days, which is 10 or 11 days less solar year. For this reason, the days of Muslim religious holidays shift relative to the Gregorian calendar every year.

Creation lunar calendar attributed to Caliph Omar ibn al-Khattab, who ruled the first Islamic state after the death of the Prophet Muhammad. According to legend, the righteous caliph Omar turned to his comrades with a request to choose some significant event in the life of the young Muslim community as the starting point of Islamic history. Were different offers: the birth of Muhammad, the date of which has not been established with chronological accuracy, historical episodes of his life, the day of the death of the prophet. The starting point was the hijra - the exodus from Mecca, as a result of which the first community of Muslims was formed. For about 14 centuries, the entire Muslim community of the world has adhered to this decision.

A month in Hijri is the period between two new moons. There are 12 months in the Muslim calendar, as in the European one. Their names remain the same as in the ancient solar-lunar Arabic calendar.

The month of Muharram is the first month of the Muslim calendar. It is believed that as a person spends the first month of the year, so will the rest of the twelve months pass.

Muharram is one of the four months during which Allah has specifically forbidden conflicts, blood feud, wars and similar strife. The Koran speaks a lot about the venerability of this month. Muharram is a month of repentance and worship. Every Muslim should try to spend this month in the service of God. One of the sayings of Muhammad says: “Muharram is the best for fasting after the month of Ramadan.” Another saying says: “Whoever fasts one day in the month of Muharram will be rewarded with 30 fasts.”

Muharram - Arabic. محـرّ م‎‎
safar - صفـر‎
Rabi'u l'awwal - ربـيع الأول‎
rabi'u s-saaniya - ربـيع الآخر‎ or ربـيع الـثاني‎
jumaada l-uula - جمادى الأول‎
Jumaada l-aakhyr or Jumaada s-saaniya - جمادى الآخر‎ or جمادى الـثاني‎
rajab - رجـب‎
Sha'ban - شعـبا ن‎
Ramadan (Turkic Ramazaan) - رمضا ن‎
Shawwal - شوّ ال‎
zul-qa`da - ذو الـقـعـدة‎
zulhija - ذو الحجة‎

The cycle consists of 30 years: 19 ordinary years of 354 days and 11 leap years of 355 days. Leap years 2, 5, 7, 10, 13, 16,18, 21, 24, 26, 29th. An additional day is added to last month.

The Muslim year is always shorter than the solar year: by 10 days if the Muslim year is a leap year and the solar year is a simple year; by 11 days if both years are simple or leap years; and even for 12 days, if Muslim year simple, and solar is a leap year.

The Muslim year is not tied to the seasons, the months migrate across all seasons, with the result that the beginning of the year, for example, may fall in the Gregorian summer months, and after some time - in the winter.