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Al-Ahram Weekly 15 - 21 April 1999 Issue No. 425 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 15 - 21 April 1999 Issue No. 425
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Features Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Cool breezes and smelly fish
photo: Khaled El-fiqi
IT IS BELIEVED that for several thousand years, Egyptians have greeted spring in pretty much the same way -- an early morning start with older members of the household dangling a green onion under their children's noses to wake them up. This is usually followed by a picnic which typically includes some, and usually all, of the following: fiseekh (salted fish), lettuce, green onions and coloured eggs.
In keeping with tradition, hundreds of thousands of families across the nation left their homes early Monday morning to "sniff the breeze" or shamm Al-Nessim. For the inhabitants of Cairo, the Barrage gardens -- reportedly visited by over a million people -- as well as the zoo -- 100,000 visitors -- are major attractions. In Alexandria, the beaches were awash with holiday-makers -- 40,000 visitors -- and in Luxor, people visited the monuments built by their ancestors. The affluent headed to private beach resorts and five-star hotels. Everyone was favoured by great weather: blue skies, a warm sun and a gentle breeze.
The inhabitants of Port Said, known for their ardent nationalism, have added a fresh twist to the spring festival celebration. During the days of the British occupation, the day would begin with the burning of an effigy of British Gen. Allenby amidst singing and much clapping. For many years now, the tradition has been transformed into one in which the "Allenby" corresponds to the city's choice of annual 'bad guy'. For Port Saidis, this year's bad guy was, predictably, Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.
Like with any other holiday, calamities are bound to occur, and the spring festival is known for its incidents of poisoning and drowning in particular. This year, however, the calamity count was down and it was noted that the government was ready in advance to deal with the anticipated repercussions. A state of emergency was declared at hospitals and traffic checkpoints nationwide. Further, special water, sewage, and electricity maintenance teams were formed to deal with any emergency that might arise.
The most tragic event of the day was the death of seven family members who drowned on their way from Tanta to Ras Al-Bar after their car plunged into an irrigation canal.
