Egyptian Customs and Festivals - Softcover

Abdennour, Samia

Softcover

ISBN 10: 9774160606 ISBN 13: 9789774160608

Publisher: The American University in Cairo Press, 2007

Synopsis

How do Egyptian Muslims celebrate Ramadan? How do Copts - Egyptian Christians - celebrate Easter? What should you expect to find on the table when invited to eat in an Egyptian home? What do you say when an Egyptian colleague sneezes? Exactly what do Egyptians do with a mortar and pestle, a sieve, and a bag of nuts seven days after the birth of a baby? Samia Abdennour, once an outsider from Palestine, now thoroughly at home in Egypt, is here to tell you all about these matters - and many more. In a book that aims to introduce the unfamiliar newcomer or interested foreign reader to the hows, whats, and whys of Egyptians life, the author covers such diverse topics as birth, marriage, and death; religious festivals and fasting; food in the home and on the street; business etiquette and terms of politeness. She describes how some traditions differ between the two religious communities, the Muslims and the Copts, and how some customs are shared by all Egyptians - like the spring festival of Shamm al-Nisim ('smelling the breezes') that goes back to pharaonic times. With "Egyptian Customs and Festivals", you need never be at a loss in a social situation in Egypt - or fail to understand what your neighbors are up to. Illustrated throughout with color photographs of daily life and special occasions, this fascinating and informative book is a must-have for anyone new to Egyptian culture.

About this title

About the Author:

Samia Abdennour is the author of the bestselling Egyptian Cooking and Other Middle Eastern Recipes (AUC Press, revised edition, 2005).

About this edition

• Publisher: The American University in Cairo Press
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 9774160606
• ISBN 13: 9789774160608
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 112