Sham El Nessim: Egypt’s Ancient Spring Celebration - { Cultural Foodie}

An Ancient Egyptian Tradition

There is a tradition of celebrating the spring season in Egypt. In Egypt, these celebrations take place on a day called Sham El Nessim, which can be translated as “breathing the breeze.” Sham El Nessim is derived from the ancient Egyptian word Shemu, which was later turned into the Coptic Shom El Nessim before becoming the Egyptian Arabic Sham El Nessim used today.

The celebration was mainly concerned with the fruitful harvest season. Egyptians celebrated with offerings to the gods. These offerings included salted fish, onions, and lettuce. The fish offerings symbolized life, preservation, and their relation to the Nile. The ebb and flow of the Nile’s floodwaters left fish behind, which were naturally dried and salted in the sun. The drying and salting processes represented preservation and eternity, aligning with spring themes such as renewal and life.

Salted Fish and Modern Celebrations

Today, Sham El Nessim is considered a festive day to celebrate the spring season. The celebration is still associated with salted fish, such as fessekh and herring, or ringa. There is a whole market built around the day.

Particularly, fessekh is considered a pricey meal during Sham El Nessim, even though it is also a controversial dish. Most people eat ringa, which is also a salted fish, but the controversy is mainly related to fessekh and its salting process. Sometimes, the salting process could be improper, meaning the fish may not be safe to eat from a medical standpoint because it could be contaminated.

However, aside from concerns about the proper way to salt the fish, some people still prefer to eat and enjoy fessekh as a festive dish during this day. There have also been jokes about the fish and whether or not it is contaminated. This has become part of modern Egyptian culture, in which people often mock and turn negative situations into something to laugh at.

Some restaurants have turned the dish into more creative preparations, mixing fessekhwith other ingredients, such as mango, to make mango and fessekh salad. Some people also prefer to make ringa or fessekhsalad by mixing the fish with vegetables such as green onions and lettuce rather than eating each element separately.

Some younger generations nowadays are not fond of celebrating the day with fessekh and ringa, as these foods may seem to them to represent a more traditional form of local culture. This can also be part of a broader change in how some people view local cuisine.

Colored Eggs and New Beginnings

Another dish associated with Sham El Nessim is colored boiled eggs, which are also connected to ancient Egyptian traditions. In ancient Egypt, eggs were viewed as a symbol of rebirth, new beginnings, and creation.

The practice on this day was to boil eggs, decorate them with drawings or wishes, and place them on trees or rooftops, hoping that the gods would grant their wishes by dawn. The coloring of eggs could include natural dyes or artificial paints. Natural dyes give the eggshells colors different from their original white appearance.

A Celebration of Spring and Heritage

Sham El Nessim is a day full of flavors and festivity. The day is usually spent outdoors, at picnics, and with gatherings of family and friends. It is a day to share celebrations with elements embedded in ancient Egyptian culture.

Perhaps the majority of people do not recognize the significance or meanings behind all the elements of this celebration, but people still gather and celebrate the day, continuing a tradition that connects modern Egypt with its ancient past.

References

Community service association website  

Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Sham El-Nessim.” Britannica.

The British Museum. Resources and collections on ancient Egyptian festivals, food, and religious traditions.

Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Egypt. Materials on ancient Egyptian culture, festivals, and traditions.