The day the whole nation goes outside

In this part of the world, April brings with it the feel of Spring. Along with this comes an ancient and interesting celebration here in Egypt called:
Sham el Nessim.

The best translations of the words are possibly
• Smelling the breeze
• sniffing the air
• inhaling the smell
This is a wonderful way of describing the first feel and aroma of the beginning of Spring, and of a new season of life. However, in Egypt, the smell that tends to prevail on this day is actually one of very stinky, smelly fishy one!

When is this day?

This very distinctly Egyptian holiday takes place on the Monday after the Coptic Christians celebrate Easter Sunday. The origins of Sham el Nessim are neither Islamic (which is why certain conservative Muslims will not celebrate this day) nor are they Christian. They seem to originate from Pharaonic times. In those times, there was a celebration as winter turned into spring. It was a time to make an offering to the gods, to ensure fertility and welfare for the agricultural year ahead: the renewal of life. It was said that the offerings made to the gods in those days are the same items that are eaten in the Sham el Nessim picnics! You could say the Pharaonic celebration has evolved into a national picnic day!

What do people do?

It is a day when everyone goes outside, as it is there that you can smell the spring air! People will head to any open or green space. The parks, gardens, beaches and picnic areas will be jam-packed with families, ready for their picnics. Some will head to the beach or the farm areas for a more “rural” feel. Families gather, friends gather, so that hey can all breathe the air and enjoy the traditional meal.

Why so smelly?

This day is very famous because of what is eaten on this day. One of the key foods is a fish called: Feseekh. It has some others names: rotten fish, smelly fish, stinky fish, putrid fish and for most Egyptians it is delicious fish! It is a cuisine that the people either adore or abhor! So what is this offensive fish? The raw ingredient is grey mullet, a readily available and popular fish here. It then goes through a time-honoured, many-stepped process of fermentation (waiting for the fish to bloat in the sun), salting and sitting, which lasts either 1 week – 10 days depending on how hot the weather is! It is a traditional process, often handed down from generation to generation. There are a few shops that are particularly famous for this kind of fish, for example in Rashid and Fowa (Delta area) but people in each town are warned to take care where you purchase your faseekh from!

If you are interested in the process, look at this excellent page:
http://egyptian-food-recipes.com/dried-salted-fish-feseekh/

The very distinctive pungent aroma will begin to permeate the air when it is ready (or so I am told). The unveiling of the fish has seen many people running out of the house, or foreign neighbours thinking there is a dead rat in the house! But most of my friends get terribly enthusiastic in anticipation of eating their beloved feseekh!
There are those who will not eat feseekh. This may be considered wiser choice, when you discover that the hospitals increase the staff for the day after Sham el Nessim, as many cases of poisoning from the fish will be rushed in. The the other fish options are ringa (smoked herrings) or tuna. Some sort of salty fish is considered a must!

Along with the fish there will be:
* spring onions (thought to ward off evil and sickness)
* lettuce (a sign of hopefulness)
* lots of lemon (or vinegar)
* and as always, bread
There are no traditional desserts or sweets, as on top of the salty fermented fish, onions and lemons I am told there can be no follow-on food at all! However the inevitable cup of black tea is readily available!

And eggs

The breakfast on this day usually involves eating eggs. If there are children in the family, often there is a colouring/painting/dyeing of eggs. This is a fun time for children. These days some simply buy chocolate eggs, which of course the children love! But more traditional is the boiling of ordinary eggs, and then creating a lovely bright, spring pattern on the eggs.

What did I think?

Well, to be honest, I stay very far away from Feseekh! But give me ringa any day. What I do enjoy about this day is seeing families celebrating and having fun outside, breathing in the Spring air and saying goodbye to winter.
This is a good thing!