WATANI International
27 April 2008
The Arab 14th-century sociologist Ibn-Khaldoun once observed that Egyptians enjoyed a good joke and had a keen sense of humour. He commented on the way they marked every conceivable occasion with an expression of fun and festivity. One of Egypt’s major traditional holidays which dates back to Pharaonic times is Sham al-Nessim, which corresponds to the vernal equinox and is celebrated on the day following the Christian Easter—the equivalent of Easter Monday in the West. People rejoice with the Spring, donning nature’s vivid colours in their bright dresses and eating green plants—lettuce, onions and green chickpeas, and salted fish such as herring and sardine. Eggs are very much in evidence at this feast, since the ancient Egyptians believed that the universe began with a large egg that was broken in two, earth and sky. Eggs are coloured to reflect nature’s beautiful colours, a custom introduced from Egypt to Europe by Roman soldiers.
Bread and salt
Among the many traditions from ancient Egypt which survive today are the hymns of the Nile and its annual flood, which continue as a prayer in the Coptic Mass: “Please Lord, bless the waters of the river, let them rise appropriately this year, and the plants also.” This continuity asserts the Egyptian identity.
The Egyptian-Arabic word for bread, eish, literally ‘life’, is inherited from our ancestors and the myth of the god Osiris who was lying on his back when renewed life spread through his body. Dr Sameeh Shaalan, professor of popular heritage at Cairo’s Art Academy, says that, in the same place, wheat and barley grew, so bread has until today been associated with life. A custom which lives on and shows the care Egyptians take of breadis that of collecting the bread which accidentally falls on the ground, kissing it and placing it on one side of the way for fear of its being trodden. The custom shows how much respect Egyptians accord to bread. Popular sayings show the Egyptian’s respect for bread. “We shared bread and salt” means that they shared the very basics of life. If after that one of them betrays the other, he is branded as “He who betrayed the bread and salt”.
Popular medicine
The present-day custom of distributing part of the crop to the poor in the mosque is the natural continuity of the same ancient custom practised by the priests of the temples to bless the crops and gain the approval of the gods.
Inherited popular culture is still employed in treatment of illnesses and ailments, such as using the broth of guava leaves to treat severe cough, onion peel for sore eyes and liquorice-root for the stomach.
Egyptian villagers believe that the date palm is pure and that it worships God as it bows with the wind, just like the Sufis who bend from side to side as they chant and pray. For this reason they refrain from throwing any thing impure on a palm branch. The palm’s importance dates from ancient times, and the ancient Egyptians called it “the beloved” or “the kind-hearted”. They would offer the gods dried fruit and palm fronds.
Birth
In ancient Egypt, some mothers used to give their children ugly names in belief that this would ward off death and the evil eye. The practice persists in our villages to this day, where infant mortality is still high. Some parents may call a son ‘Shahhaat’ or beggar, to show that they are begging God for him to live. They may also beg clothes from relatives for the baby boy in his first two or three years, in a belief that this would prolong his life.
When a mother gives birth, she wears a necklace of carnelian for 40 days to ward off the evil spirits and prevent their causing her disease or stopping her milk. The villagers, having inherited a fear of the unknown, put seven seeds in the infant’s bed until the seventh day of his birth to keep him safe and drive away evil spirits. The seventh day of birth is celebrated by all Egyptians, and Copts have a special religious ceremony for the occasion.
… and death
As for customs associated with death, the third day after death is recognised by the Copts, while the 40 days’ commemoration of the dead and the anniversary are observed by both Muslims and Christians. In Lasting Ancient Egyptian Traditions, history scholar Selim Hassan wrote that it was believed that the dead needed food in the grave to help them on their journey to the other world. This custom is still practised in some villages of the Delta, where families put a jug of water, three loaves of bread and some salt in the new grave. In another reference, The Effect of the Ancients on our Present Life, the author compares ancient women shown on the walls of temples on their way to funerals holding offerings with today’s women going to the cemeteries carrying baskets of bread and sweet pastries. The common expression, “distributing food among the poor as charity for the dead’s soul” is a literal translation of what was said by the ancients.