On the Ancient Origins of Sham El Nessim

By Kenzy Fahmy

Next Monday, 3rd May, marks one of Egypt’s oldest and most cherished festivals, celebrated and loved by all regardless of background or faith.

The annual spring festival of Sham El Nessim can be traced back thousands of years, all the way back to Pharaonic times when the Ancient Egyptians would make offerings of salted fish, lettuce and onions to the gods in return for a fruitful harvest. At the time the spring festival was called Shemu (season of the harvest), morphing eventually into the Coptic Shom Ennisim, before taking on its current Egyptian Arabic form of Sham El Nessim, which translates as ‘smelling of the Zephyr’ – to breathe in the spring breeze.

Celebrated by Christian and Muslim Egyptians alike, Sham El Nessim falls on the Monday right after Coptic Easter, and according to the Islamic standards, on the first day of the Khamaseen, 50 days during spring where the winds bring heat and dust from the Sahara. The Ancient Egyptians determined the date by measuring the Sun’s alignment with the Giza Pyramids; three different calendars align every year to mark the arrival of spring and celebrate the bounty the land provides.

Nearly 4000 years later and Egyptians are still celebrating the festival of renewal and rebirth in much the same way. Families come together to enjoy an outdoor picnic with a generous spread of salted mullet (feseekh), spring onion, fresh greens, eggs and traditional baladi bread.

Feseekh has become a controversial food in recent years, with reports of food poisoning and even death warning people to be wary of consuming the fish. But the preparation of feseekh is a complex art that requires vigilant cleanliness and the maintenance of a delicate balance in order for it not to become dangerous to consume.

Mullet fished from the Mediterranean Sea is washed and salted before being placed into special wooden barrels where it’s left to ferment for 45 days, after which it’s safe to store and eat for about 6 months. If any step in the process is not carried out correctly, however, the resulting fish can be deadly; for those who are adventurous enough to give it a try, make sure you buy it from one of the country’s reputable vendors so you can be confident that it’s safe to eat.

While this year’s festivities might be a little different due to the pandemic, you can be sure that the smell of feseekh and onions, a thousand year old tradition, will still permeate the warm spring breeze. And while gatherings will have to be limited, the sound of laughter and celebration will still be heard throughout the country as Egyptians far and wide come together to enjoy the beautiful weather and the gifts of springtime.

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