The Egyptian Spring Festival You Didn’t Know Existed
Egyptians have been celebrating the coming of spring for centuries. Never heard of Sham el-Nessim? That’s ok, it’s a well-kept secret.
Egyptians breathe a sigh of relief at the first signs of warm weather. We’re not built for the cold! The days get longer, the sun shines a little warmer, and crops come to life. We call this spring celebration “Sham el-Nessim”, (pronounced: shem-el-neh-seem) which is sometimes translated to “smelling the breeze”. Our ancient ancestors named the harvest season “shemu”. Interestingly, their harvest season is practically the same as ours today-April to August. Could the word “Shemu” have morphed into “Sham el-Nessim”? Very likely! There are many Ancient Egyptian words that are still in use today. But the reality is, nobody knows for sure where the name “Sham el-Nessim” comes from. It has a long and complicated history- as most Egyptian things do!
Families picnic in gardens and play games during Sham el-Nessim.
Sham el-Nessim marks the start of the harvesting season, so celebrating it means to be hopeful and thankful for the harvest yet to come. Egypt has always been a farming nation with a special bond to the land, and we’ve been partying in honor of spring and the harvest for thousands of years! It’s a time of optimism, rebirth, and looking forward to a new fruitful year. Egyptians are particularly proud of Sham el-Nessim because it is exclusively ours. It is a holiday rooted in our land, and its traditions are not shared with any of our neighbors.
Sham el-Nessim is always the Monday after Coptic Easter Sunday. Even though it’s linked to the Christian holiday, Sham el-Nessim is celebrated by all Egyptians. Rich, poor, Christian, Muslim, or Jewish- everybody wants to have a good time. Folks get together with their loved ones and head outdoors to enjoy the spring weather. Good food is the order of the day, so picnics are packed before bee-lining to public gardens. There’s no such thing as partying in Egypt without blaring music. And this should be expected when walking around Egypt’s public parks on Sham el-Nessim. Games are played, songs are sung, and delicious food is shared- it’s an all-round good time!
Vegetable seller preparing his lettuce and green onions for Spring festivities.
There are two essential parts of Sham el-Nessim foods, the greens and the fish. Without these two things, you’re not doing it right. The star of the show is the fish: Most popular of all is Feseekh (pronounced: fih-see-kh): a salted and fermented grey mullet. Feseekh is a controversial food, with staunch lovers and fierce haters. It is an acquired taste with an extremely pungent smell- hence the preference to eat outdoors. If not prepared well, Feseekh can cause botulism- so it’s super important to get your Feseekh from a well-known “Fasakhani” (pronounced: feh-sa-khani, a professional title given to those who make Feseekh). When it comes to greens, it’s all about the (Romaine) lettuce and spring onions, both of which are native to Egypt. They aren’t cut up into a salad, they are served whole. It might seem weird to think of serving full lettuce leaves and entire stalks of spring onions next to plates full of salted, smoked and fermented fish. But it just works! Egyptian lettuce is crisp and sweet, and spring onions are mild and fragrant- paired with pungent fish it’s simply *chef’s kiss* -to die for.
Feseekh, the most controversial of the Sham el-Nessim foods.
Feseekh is often accompanied by “Ringa” (pronounced: ring-a) salted and smoked herring, and “Melouha” (pronounced: mel-oo-ha) salted mullet, and sardines. These fish are usually way too salty to be eaten directly, so it’s common for people to put them in different kinds of dips and salads as a way to dilute the flavour. And as with any meal in Egypt, Balady bread is always present!
Balady bread is part of almost every Egyptian meal.
The Egyptian word for small snacks is “Tasaly” (pronounced: tah-sal-ee) which means “snack that keeps you entertained”- all holidays in Egypt have “tasaly”. What are you supposed to do with your day off? Hang out with friends and family and snack all day! During Sham El Nessim, the snacks are “termis” (pronounced: tir-mis) lupini beans, “lib” roasted seeds of all kinds, sprouted fenugreek seeds, sprouted fava beans, candies and small chocolates. Unique to Sham ElNessim is “Malana” (pronounced: mel-lah-nah) which are green chickpeas sold by the branch. “Malana” is very seasonal and can only be found during springtime.
Spring is a great time to be here. If you time it just right, you might just catch a glimpse of this ancient holiday being celebrated in the gardens and farms of Egypt. But if you can’t make it, have your own Sham el-Nessim celebration in your backyard! Happy Sham el-Nessim to all!
