Egypt

Eid al-Fitr in Egypt has a very special and significant flavour distinguishing it from all other parts of the world, reflecting ancient civilizations' effects in the characteristics and traditions of the Egyptian society.

Eid festivities in Egypt usually last three days with vacations for schools, universities and government offices. As the Eid day starts with small snack followed by Eid prayers in congregation attended by men, women and children in large and famous mosques in all cities.

Afterwards neighbours, friends and relatives start greeting each other, as the most common greeting is "Eid Mubarak" (have a blessed Eid). Children are normally given gifts which traditionally are new clothes to wear throughout the Eid, also women (particularly mothers, wives, sisters and daughters) are commonly given special gifts by their loved ones.

It is customary for children to also receive "Ediyah" from their grown-up relatives, which is a small sum of money that the children receive, to spend on all their activities throughout the Eid.

The amusement parks can range from the huge ones on the outskirts of Cairo to small neighbourhood rides consisting of swings, much like a neighbourhood carnival. In a lot of neighbourhood courtyards kids also gather around a storyteller, a puppeteer or a magician, to be mesmerized by Egyptian folktales or by a grownup's sleight of hand. It is also customary for kids to rent decorated bikes to ride around town.

Eid is a time for family gatherings and since a lot of Egyptian city dwellers are first or second generation immigrants from towns and villages so those gatherings can involve traveling.

Also since most Egyptians live in proximity to the Nile so felucca Nile rides is one common feature of Eid celebration in Egyptian villages, towns and cities.

Eid celebration also includes picnics in green areas including parks, zoos, botanical gardens and even green islands on major roads. The family gatherings involve cooking and eating all kinds of Egyptian food but the item most associated with Eid al-Fitr are "Kahk" which are cookies filled with sugar powder, and have a very significant historic background as the ancient Egyptians (the pharaohs) used to decorate its surfaces with shapes standing for the Sun (one of their ancient gods), and they either bake it at home or buy it in the bakery.

TV in Egypt celebrates Eid too with a continuous marathon of movies as well as programmes featuring live interviews from all over Egypt of both public figures and citizens sharing their Eid celebrations.

So if your Egypt visit coincides with Eid you can either share with Egyptians their celebrations or catch-up on your shopping by benefiting from Cairo and Alexandria's commercial districts, as shopping in Egypt ranges from famous Khan el-Khalili souk (or bazaar) largely unchanged since the 14th century to modern air conditioned centres displaying the latest fashion. This is and has been for over a thousand years truly a shopper's paradise.