Christmas in Egypt
Article contains: Background, What to Expect?, Coptic Christmas
Background
Since 90% of Egyptians are Muslim, it’s no surprise that Christmas in Egypt is not a big deal.
Although Islam recognises Jesus Christ as an important profit, he is not revered as the son of God as in the Christian faith.
For that reason there are no public holidays related to Christmas during the month of December or what is commonly perceived as the Christmas period in the US and Western Europe.
The remaining 10% of Egyptians that do practice Christianity belong to the Coptic Christian Church.
Coptic Christmas takes place on the 7th January (read more about Coptic Christmas in Egypt).
What to Expect?
Christmas in Egypt remains a special time to enjoy the country - regardless of the lack of traditional festive cheer – for the following reasons:
Weather - The climate during this period is relatively cool. Cairo for example enjoys clear skies (smog permitting), long sunny days with enough cool breeze to make busy itineraries viable.
It’s also a great time to enjoy the mountains, hiking, Aswan, the Western Desert or any other activity conducive to cooler climes.
Read more about the weather in December in Egypt.
Business as usual – Since there are no bank holidays to worry about, restaurants, museums and ancient sites remain open as usual.
Dreaming of a 'unique' Christmas – While the rest of Europe overeats and languishes in front of the TV set, visitors to Egypt have the chance to enjoy a pretty memorable and unique Christmas experience.
For example, spending the 25th by the pyramids or consuming Christmas lunch on the beach or as a desert picnic will likely stand out amongst the other memories in years to come.
And if a traditional Christmas meal is a ‘must have’ it shouldn’t be too difficult to organise. Particularly if you’re staying on the Red Sea (at Dahab, Sharm, Hurghada etc) there are a multitude of European owned pubs, bars and restaurants which offer a traditional Christmas feed on the 25th.
New Years – New Years Eve is great fun in Egypt with fireworks and celebrations across the country.
You’ll still be wished a merry Christmas at every turn from Muslims and Christians alike.
There are no precious sensitivities on this point, and no requirement to wish others a generic ‘happy holiday’ if unsure of that individual’s faith.
During Ramadan for example Egyptians (Muslim and Christian) wish each other a ‘Ramadan Karim’ (generous Ramadan) regardless of faith.
And for those who simply can’t get through the season without seeing a father Christmas or a Rudolf, most hotels do indeed have a Christmas tree, street hawkers wear Santa hats and hotel lobbies blast out all of your favourite Crimbo hits from Slade, to George Michael, to Cliff Richard; mistletoe and wine indeed.
Coptic Christmas in Egypt
Coptic Christians (known as ‘Copts’) actually practice an ancient form of Christianity founded by St Mark the apostle in the middle of the first century. It’s therefore closely related to the oriental orthodox Christianity practiced in Eastern Europe, Russia and Greece.
Christmas for the Copts (as it is for the rest of the orthodox world) is therefore celebrated on the 7th January when the country enjoys a national holiday.
For Copts December is a month of fasting which they do between November 25th and 6th January. During this period the Coptic diet resembles something of a Western Vegan, restricted to non animal products only.
The fast – know as ‘lent’ – lasts for 43 days and represents the time spent by Moses on Mount Sinai plus an additional three days to pay homage to the moving of Cairo’s El Mokattam Mountain by Simon the Tanner in the 10th Century
After 43 days the nativity is marked by a special Church mass, the largest of which takes places in Cairo’s Saint Mark’s Cathedral.
For More Information:
Wiki Pedia - The full story of Simon the Tanner and the Mokattam Mountain
Coptic Christianity - Read more about the Copts and how they spend Christmas in Egypt
