... Throw out the old year, literally …!

OUT WITH THE OLD…. AND IN WITH THE NEW!

Many of us know this saying, but when it comes to the New Year in Egypt, in many places an interesting (if not dangerous) custom has been literally to see the old year out by throwing things out…. the window!

FESTIVITIES

New Year in Egypt follows the usual patterns of a celebration day… bearing in mind that there are different New Years: the Islamic New Year for 2016 will be October 1 and 2 but the more commonly used these days is the Gregorian New Year, which is December 31st (Eve) and January 1st (New Year’s Day).

The usual things that can be seen during the celebrations:

• fireworks (from steel wire set alike and swung around like a lasso, to bug spray cans with the nozzle forced down and the spray set alight….. to imported fancy fireworks)
• loud music (with its powerful rhythm and beat echoing in the back of your head)
• people wearing new clothes, usually beautiful bright colors 
• gatherings of friends and family for food and more food
• choruses of “Kol sanne wi inta tayeb” and “mabrook” (the Arabic words of celebration meaning: congratulations, every year you are kind)
• and for the fancier homes and hotels, glorious displays of fireworks!

AND THEN SOME

One thing that we did find surprising was discovering that people throw old things out of their windows at the turn of the new year: cups, plates and even an old toilet or 2! These are thrown out of the apartment windows onto the road below.

When asking around to try and find out where this tradition came from and what it means, I managed to find out there is a rather interesting saying:

When you have a visitor that you don't really want to return, when they leave, you say:

“Break the water jar behind him” (literally throw the simple clay water jar that is prevalent here in Egypt, on the floor and break it). This is thought to make sure that this unwelcome visitor will not return.

A similar thinking appears to have emerged for seeing the old year leave: to make sure that the bad things that may have happened during the old year do not return for the coming year, you break things behind him, by throwing old stuff out your window. You break the plate, cup, ceramic toilet, pot, behind the old year, making sure that the new one will only be filled with good things!

WHAT ELSE?

Not every one agrees with this custom, and several will say it is nothing more than superstition, but mothers will warn their children not to go outside for fear that something will fall on their heads. The more modern youngsters have started throwing water balloons around, as they view this as more fun and less harmful.

SO…. HAPPY NEW YEAR.

So whenever you happen to read this, we hope that the year ahead of you will be a good one, and that every year will indeed find you being kind, respectful and considerate!

... The most famous Egyptian meal ...

In Egypt, it is difficult to define what is:

• THE national meal
• THE favorite dish of the people
• THE staple food of the land

Egyptians love food, and lots of it… particularly carbohydrates: no meal is usually complete without at least 3 of them!

So it is not surprise that the dish of food known here as KOSHARI (Kusharee, or any other spelling you like) is among one of the many “most famous” Egyptian meals!

WHERE DOES IT COME FROM?

There are a few histories of the dish, my favorite is that of the progressive improvement of the dish as it passed through many nationalities:

• It is said that the origins of this dish were from India: a lentil and rice dish called Khichiri.
• It appears to have become known in Italy (1900s) who then added… pasta (of course) in macaroni form.
• During the First World War, it is said that Egyptian soldiers got hold of this dish, and passed it on to their Egyptian families.
• At this point it was made thoroughly Egyptian: with the addition of Chick peas and crispy onions.

So a truly international, multi-layered, added on dish, culminating in a uniquely Egyptian taste, flavor and design!

WHAT IS IN KOSHAREE?

This is a single dish, with many ingredients:

• the base layer is a starch lover’s heaven: pasta (macaroni, and a very thin spaghetti) and rice… and lots of this!
• then is added lentils (usually dark)
• this then has a lovely tomato/onion/garlic sauce poured over it
• the final garnish is chick peas and crispy delicious caramelized onions.
• optional is a garlic sauce, or a zingy hot sauce (added to taste)

This may sound quite bizarre, but almost all of our guests have found this to be a memorable meal.

THE SERVING OF IT:

As with many meals in Egypt, the preparation is tedious: many ingredients and lots of time required. How it is then served is almost an elegant dance, so fluid are the “chef”, whether it be from a food cart or in one of the specialized kosharee restaurants.

The various food items are stored in large metal (silver) bowls, and traditional served on metal (silver in color) plates.

As the arm of the server sweeps and swoops gracefully and in a flurry of motion up and down the line of carefully created mounds of pasta, rice, lentils, tomato sauce, peas and onions, the pleasant sound of the metal plates beating against each other create a sound and rhythm that gets your mouth watering…. even standing watching them serve is mesmerizing!

If you are in a restaurant with a group, it can be alarming when you see how many plates one waiter is able to carry at a time: but the service is usually brisk and efficient, as there are often people waiting to be seated. So service is quick, eating is a serious business, and then move on to allow the next hungry customers the pleasure of eating their meal!

THE NATION LOVES IT!

Although there are some thoughts that this is a meal for the “poor/common folk” it is a widely popular dish, beloved by almost every Egyptian I know… and fast growing in acclaim with our foreign guests.

So when you come, ask around and find a good place to go to, and watch how they dish up the food, look at people’s faces, and then tuck in and enjoy this uniquely Egyptian meal: one that shows how we can combine many cultures in one and all enjoy it together.

... 2 shiny rings, and a truck-load of brand new furniture ...

Any wedding, in any culture, any country usually brings to the fore the question of who buys what and who pays for what!

In Egypt, one of the fun things that one gets to see periodically, is a truck load of new furniture, accompanied by young enthusiastic men:

• clapping hands
• banging drums
• and singing…     as the truck, and some cars, head towards a specific, new, empty apartment.

VILLAGE vs CITY:

When it comes to who does what, these days in Egypt, there is a growing difference between what happens in the village compared to the city, but there are also differences between the economic classes. But even so, there are still similarities. For now, we will focus on the village, where the whole community gets involved… and how!

THE GROOM:

Traditionally, in some Delta villages, the Groom is responsible (with usually his parents and or wealthy relatives) for buying an apartment. This is ideally 4 rooms: main bedroom, lounge, dining room and a “living room” (guest room, children’s room, guest room, TV room). These apartments usually come with very little. Unfurnished can mean no light fixtures, no bath or toilet fixtures, no cupboards, no kitchen cupboards or sink or working surfaces! So quite a lot needs to be bought.

He is usually responsible for buying all the furniture, fixtures and fittings for the entire house.

THE BRIDE:

On her side, the bride is responsible for the “small items” in the kitchen/dining room: cutlery, crockery, glasses, pots and pans, blenders and mixers, bedding….. Usually she and her parents start buying and storing things in her home from the time of the engagement.

If she is going to live in a home above her prospective in-laws (as many do in the Delta: they build an extra floor above their home for their son and his bride) she will also be expected to buy some new items for her future mother-in-law’s kitchen, as well as some gifts for her future sisters-in-law.

ONE WEEK BEFORE (or so)…

The groom and a selection of advisors (usually his family and a few friends) even up to 10, will make their way to Damietta, on the Eastern branch of the Nile, home of Egypt’s famous carpenters and furniture makers. The group will descend and begin bargaining and arguing over the order and the price. When this is agreed, the purchases will be packed up and transported by friends and family to the home.

2 - 3 DAYS BEFORE:

The truck will arrive in the village. Friends of the groom and his family will accompany the truck with much noise and merriment and go via the Brides house to collect all the things she has collected for the home. The young men will take this to the apartment and unload everything, place them in the correct rooms and then the carpenter will put them together. The gifts from the bride will be left in the kitchen, awaiting the arrival of the women!

SOON AFTER:

The women will arrive (usually from the brides family). They will begin to dust, clean and unpack all the goodies for the kitchen, dining room, beds, and cupboards. The bride is not usually present for this…. but when the ladies are finished, it is custom in many villages that the neighbors and other villagers can come over and have a quick look. But once the women leave, the door is locked until after the wedding.

AND FINALLY THEY ARE MARRIED:

After the wedding the happy couple will be brought back to their new home, furnished, cleaned and prepared… ready for the start of their marriage….. some time alone, but very soon the first visitors and well wishers will arrive!

... Breakfast to go ...

How many times have you heard that “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day?”. In Egypt, breakfast is indeed not to be taken lightly. You won’t usually find many Egyptians simply throwing some cereal in a bowl, adding milk and wolfing it down. Nor eating a quick yoghurt and piece of fruit.

MAIN ITEMS:

Breakfast is a glorious meal, if you eat the traditional breakfast of:

* Fuul (beans)

* Falafel

* Eggs

* Bread

* Salad.

Now some people prefer to cook and prepare there own at home, but many will simply pop out to the nearest breakfast cart and get a quick breakfast to go, and walk briskly back to their own house to eat it with their family.

WHO COMES TO BUY:

It is usually the men who will come out to the street to these glorious breakfast carts. Some will come still in their pyjamas, some will arrive in their cars on the way to work, some will come with their own bowls, some will simply stand at the food cart and eat there. People will usually have their favorite breakfast cart, and indeed some people will travel to another neighborhood just to get their favorite breakfast.

WHAT IS ON A BREAKFAST CART?

These carts are usually odd wooden carts, that have been brightly painted. They have large wheels and look very cheerful! They can be attached to a horse, pushed, or even connected to a bicycle to be moved around. 

Around one side of the cart is usually a small shelf, shoulder height, where you can stand and eat, chatting to your fellow cart-restaurant diners!

On the opposite side is usually the dishing up side: where there is usually a large, silver, small necked pot, in which the fuul (beans) has been simmering for hours. This can be dished up in a small plastic bag, or put in a sandwich, poured into a personal bowl (if you are taking it home) or dished up onto a plate if you are eating at the cart.

There are usually some boiled eggs, falafel ready made, bread and some mixed salad. Oil, salt, spices and chilly can be added to taste.

QUALITY FOOD AND VALUE FOR MONEY:

Many visitors are frightened at the idea of “street food”. And indeed some have better cleanliness standards than others. But ask a few local people where is the best breakfast cart, and they can show you!

Then pop across one morning, for the quickest, freshest, cheapest and filling breakfast I think you will ever have had!!

... the thick, sweet Winter Drink ...

Egyptians are very particular about their drinks! There are many and varied in:

• colour
• ingredients
• look
• texture and 
• temperature.

One of the rather more interesting drinks is called:

SAHLAB.

This is the official Winter Drink of Egypt! It will produce a frown and a gasp of horror if you ask for it when winter is over. Guests have described it as a “hot dessert in a glass”! And indeed it is: a sweet, hot, creamy tea!

INGREDIENTS:

In many a previous era, Sahlab was drunk before tea and coffee were the order of the day. In those times, Sahlab was made (apparently) from the powder by drying and crushing the tuberous root of a wild, white orchid: the orchis mascula. In Ottoman days it is said to have been drunk as an aphrodisiac, as well as being thought to be very nutritious for invalids, and medicinal for gastric irritation. 

In more recent days, this lovely wild orchid is becoming more and more rare, and more expensive to buy, so tastes have become more simplified, more instant.

MODERN SAHLAB:

The new recipe for Sahlab replaces the wild orchid powder with corn-starch and milk. Some people like to add rose-water, to give a floral hint. But this thick milky drink then has many other things added to it, depending on the taste of the drinker:

• coconut
• raisins
• sugar
• nuts (usually pistachio)
• sesame seeds 

Nowadays you can get this all in a pre-packed package, only needing to add water or milk, and perhaps an extra topping or 2! Or you can buy the ready made powder in a local souq (market) from a large bag, measuring out the quantity you want.

DRINK OR CHEW?

With the thick consistency of this sweet milky drink, with nuts and coconut on the top, the biggest dilemma is whether to drink it or eat it! All we recommend is that you have one: take a sip, but have a spoon nearby to scoop out all the goodness within your glass.

But be warned: this is like a meal in itself….. not to be drunk flippantly or with a meal: it is a meal on its own: warm, sweet and very yummy! 

On a cold day in Egypt….

it is just the thing.

... the fabulous Fez from Fowa ...

Having seen the remains of the once impressive and one of its kind (at the time) Fez factory in the town of Fowa(ordered by Mohmmad Ali Bashr and built by Mohammed Maghreb in 1824), taking a close look at the revered Fez hat provided an interesting topic for this page. This small, red truncated cone hat, with its black tassel has had a remarkably turbulent history, and is rather an “iconic” hat, if ever there was one!

THE FEZ: (or TARBOOSH)

The traditional Fez hat is usually made of felt (wool) and is of a striking merlot/red color with a black tassel. It was a brimless “bonnet” which made it easier for Muslims while praying (as there was no brim!) Where it first originated is under dispute, but it appears to have been either in Greece or the Balkans, though many assume it was in Morocco. But it rose to fame in the Ottoman era in 1826.

DURING OTTOMAN TIMES:

In 1826, Sultan Mahmud II made sweeping reforms over his lands, and one of those was to “update” the military uniform. He banned the wearing of the cherished turbans, and substituted it with the compulsory fez. His civil officials were then ordered to wear the plain fez. People were gradually “coerced” into accepting the fez as a symbol of “modernity” and oriental cultural identity: a new national hat!

The result was a sudden and huge demand for the production of these fez hats. The factory in Fowa was key initially, then gradually production centers were established in Constantinople and the Czech Republic (Austria).

Austria continued to produce in an almost near monopoly of the market until 1908, when there was a 1 year “Fez Boycott” and the fabulous fez saw the end of its universality.

IN TURKEY:

In Turkey the Fez was widely worn until the 1920's, Kamal Turk decided that his "new Republic" needed to follow European trends and stay up to date. On the 30th August, 1923, he banned the Fez, and forcefully introduced various European options of headgear: bowler hats, fedoras, panama hats. 

MILITARY USE:

+ 1840s - 1910 a red Fez with a blue tassel was used in the Turkish army.

+ late 19th Century, all locally recruited “native soldiers” of the Colonial armies adopted the Fez as their distinctive headdress. They wore them at different angles or placement of the tassels differently to denote which regiment they were from. 

+ The Egyptian army wore the classic Turkish model Fez until 1950

But although they were colorful and picturesque, for military use they were quite impractical: no protection from the sun, and a rather visible target.

USE TODAY:

The Fez is still used in various places by various people:

Cyprus, Peci (Indonesia), Songkok (Malaysia) and in North Africa in their hotel industry: bellhops, porters, and by some sects. 

However it is a charged symbol with a long and complicated history, and for many Muslims today the Fez hat is still a symbol of the "oppressors" and as such it might be considered politically incorrect to wear them.

But for those of you who would like to have one, you can easily buy them on-line, ranging from $4 (used) up to $65 (hand-made velvet)!

... round and round and round they go ...

THE DERVISHES:

Many people who come to Egypt want to see a whirling dervish (mowlawlyya). 

Who are these people who spin around and around in a religious dance?

The dervishes are a branch off of the Sunni sect of Islam. In Egypt at present the Order of the Whirling Dervishes is a very small number indeed, and are usually only seen at Moulids/festivals/tourist stages. But this order was founded in Konya (in Turkey) almost 800 years ago, the original master was a Persian poet named Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi. The Mevlevi or Semazens (as the Dervishes are also called) extol music and dance as a way of shedding earthly ties and abandoning oneself to God's love.

THE SUFI IDEAL:

Their aim is to attain union with God, the source of all perfection. During the Ottoman and Mamluk times Sufism flourished. They propose that the way of life is to love, and be of service to people, deserting one's own ego/false self and all illusions to become mature and perfect. Sufi followers were known for their extreme poverty and austerity, and were often said to be thin, unkempt and sometimes frighteningly mystical when they arrived in a village! Many followers of the order of Dervish were great artists: music, calligraphy and painting.

But many orthodox Muslims think Sufism and the order of the dervishes is blasphemous.

THE WHIRLING CEREMONY:

The actual dance of the dervishes is called the Sema Ritual: Sama meaning hearing/listening. It is said to be physically active meditation and represent one's spiritual journey. 

The aim of the dance is to abandon one's ego by listening to the music, focus on God and spin slowly in repetitive circles: trying to find God and become quiet and peaceful in finding him. 

As you watch the circling worshippers, it is good to understand the symbolism they attach to each element of the dance:

• the music: this represents the solar system
• the spinning: represents the heavenly bodies (planets orbiting the sun)
• right hand up: is pointing to heaven, where grace is being received from God
• left hand down: is pointing to earth, where this grace is being distributed
• camel hair cone hats: tomb-stones of personal desires (selfish ego)
• black cloaks: the tomb (of ego) which they discard to signify spiritual re-birth to the truth
• white skirts: the funeral shrouds

The revolving is said to signify the harmony with all things in nature and they join the choreography of the cosmos by dancing to its rhythm in the spinning action of the universe.

HOW TO SPIN:

There is strict order and structure in the dance. The order begins with a novice learning from a teacher who has in turn learnt from his teacher. This chain or order (Silsila) is said to trace finally to God himself. The novices first have to go through the strict discipline of the body to enable the mind to become free before they can even begin to dance. There is a chief dancer (Sheik) for every dance, and they stand in an honored corner. As the plaintive and insistent call of the Turkish flute (ney) begins, each dervish will pass him 3 times to greet, with both hands crossed on their shoulders.  Then they begin to slowly rotate, revolving with ever increasing speed. They revolve from left to right, rotating on the ball of the left foot, using the right foot as the impetus to spin. And during the dance, should any of the dervishes become too enraptured with their whirling, they will be corrected by the chief dancer touching their robe. 

BANNING:

In 1925 in Turkey, public religious performances of this order were banned. Finally in 1954 the Mevlevi order were given permission to whirl twice a week for tourists. So the following is very small, but if you look, you might just be able to get a glimpse of these whirling dervishes as they spin and seek connection with God.