| Sham Ennessim | |
|---|---|
 Fesikh, a meal commonly eaten during Sham Ennessim | |
| Official name | شم النسيمSham al-Nassim |
| Observed by | Egyptians |
| Type | Cultural, seasonal, and agricultural |
| Celebrations |
|
| Date | falls always on the day afterEastern ChristianEaster |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Related to | Ancient Egypt |
Sham Ennessim (Arabic:شم النسيم,Sham Al Nassim orSham an-Nassim;Egyptian Arabic:Sham Ennesim,IPA:[ˈʃæmmennɪˈsiːm]) is anEgyptian national festival marking the beginning of spring. It is celebrated by almost all Egyptians and is announced by the state as apublic holiday.[1] Sham Ennessim always falls onEaster Monday, which is the day afterEaster, in accordance with theCoptic Orthodox Church.[2]
The main features of the festival are:[1]
On that day ... the modern Egyptians say that lettuce represents hopefulness at the beginning of the spring. Eggs are used to represent the renewal of life in the season of the spring. People dye the eggs in various colors in a tradition that goes back to the Coptic- ancient Egyptians who were probably the first to introduce this practice. Salted fish represents fertility and welfare.[1]
The nameSham Ennesim translates into "Smelling/Taking In theZephyrs,"[3][1] which fairly accurately represents the way in which the festival is celebrated.
It has been proposed that the Arabic name is a reinterpretation of a proposed Coptic *ϣⲱⲙ ⲛⲛⲓⲥⲓⲙ "Harvest of the Herbs/Grasses".[4] No actual attestation of this term has, however, been provided. ϣⲱⲙ by itself means 'summer' or 'tax' in Coptic, not 'festival' or 'harvest'.[5]
Sham Ennessim is commonly believed to be directly descended from a proposed spring festival named after the season of Shemu in the old Egyptian calendar, thus establishing direct continuity since pharaonic times. The name of the hypothesized festival is given as shemu or shamo.[1] Note, however, that Egyptian šm.w refers to the summer season, not the name of a festival.[6]
Ultimately, there is insufficient evidence to confirm the festival's exact origins and evolution.[2]
The Coptic calculation of Easter uses the Aqbati method, invented by Pope Demetrius (189-231 AD) to ensure it would always be on the same date as Easter celebrated by other Christian groups, due to an early Byzantine decree.[2]
At one point, Muslims in Giza celebrated the mawlid ofAbu Huraira on the same date as Shom Ennisim.[2]
TheIslamic calendar beinglunar and thus unfixed relative to the solar year, the date of Sham Ennessim remained on the Christian-linked date.[3]
The Christian Egyptians have played a major role in preserving the festival through their cultural agency,[7] which was quite limited after the conversion to Islam in Egypt, but that cannot be taken to be the reason why the Muslim Egyptians collectively celebrate the festival.[1]
Fish and eggs are both symbols of resurrection for Christians, influencing their use in festivities.[2]
Some believe that for the festival to be collectively celebrated by the Muslim Egyptians it must have been retained by them among themselves after conversion, citing E. W. Lane,[3] (see below), and from the fact that they perform similar celebratory traditions.[1]
In his book, published in 1834, E. W. Lane reports:
"A custom termed 'Shemm en-Neseem' [sic.] (or the Smelling of the Zephyr) is observed on the first day of the Khamaseen. Early in the morning of this day, many persons, especially women, break an onion, and smell it; and in the course of the forenoon, many of the citizens of Cairo ride or walk a little way into the country, or go in boats, generally northwards, to take the air, or, as they term it, smell the air, which, on that day, they believe to have a wonderfully beneficial effect. The greater number dine in the country, or on the river. This year (1834), they were treated with a violent hot wind, accompanied by clouds of dust, instead of the neseem; but considerable numbers, notwithstanding, went out to 'smell' it."[3]
E. W. Lane's report of the festival seems to possibly report that historically the date of the festival was calculated by the Muslim Egyptians independently from Easter, they calculated it to be on the first day of theKhamaseen, which at the time happened to coincide with the day immediately following Easter. However, in his book, E. W. Lane also reports: "they [the Muslims of Egypt] calculate the period of the 'Khamaseen,' when hot southerly winds are of frequent occurrence,to commence on the day immediately following the Coptic festival of Easter Sunday." This implies that the Coptic calculation of Easter is the basis of the calculation of Khamaseen.[3] However, this is all entirely incongruous as Khamaseen usually falls at the end of March,[8][9]and Coptic Easter does not. In 1834 it fell on May 5th,[10] meaning Shom Ennisim fell on May 6th, which in close to the end of Khamaseen (which occurs during May).[9]
On the pages 540–541 of the same book, E. W. Lane also lists the Christian religious festivals that the Coptic Christian celebrated following each fast, and Sham Ennesim is not at all one of them, whereas Easter is;[11] Sham Ennesim is only reported as a festival celebrated by the Egyptians with no reference to any religion, as illustrated above, and as being observed specifically on the first day of the celebration of the "Khamaseen"--Arabic for "the 50"--referring to the 50-day period observed by Copts after Easter and before theFeast of Pentecost.[12]
