Friday, April 20th, 2:30-5:00 p.m.
McKeldin Library, Special Events Room 6137
Join us as we celebrate Sham el-Nessim, the Egyptian national holiday celebrating the beginning of Spring!
Sham el-Nessim falls on the day after the Eastern Christian Easter (following the custom of the largest Christian denomination in the country, the Coptic Orthodox Church).The name of the holiday is derived from the Egyptian name of the Harvest Season, known as Shemu, which means a day of creation. According to annals written by Plutarch during the 1st century AD, the Ancient Egyptians used to offer salted fish, lettuce, and onions to their deities on this day.
The modern Sham el-Nessim is celebrated by both Christians and Muslims, and is considered a national festival, rather than a religious one. The main features of the festival are:
- People spend all day out picnicking in any space of green, public gardens, on the Nile, or at the zoo.
- Traditional food eaten on this day consists mainly of Feseekh (a salted Grey Mullet), lettuce, scallions or green onions, tirmis or Lupini Beans, and colored boiled eggs.
We'll gather for dinner, music, and egg-painting. Please RSVP by Friday, April 13 to Katlyn Leight, Flagship Program Coordinator, at kleight@umd.edu.
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