Today is Sham el Nessim - a national holiday since pharaonic times to 'smell the breezes'. The pharaohs celebrated the arrival of spring on the vernal equinox. Since early in the first millennium AD it is celebrated by all Egyptians, Muslims and Christians alike, on the Monday following Orthodox Easter. I joined the celebration with an enjoyable walk along the Nile.
Families head out to green spaces for picnics. In the concrete jungle of Cairo the road medians teem with people sitting and playing on the what little grass the city offers. In Luxor, many of the city's residents head to the green fields of the West Bank or out onto the river in sail or motor boats. A traditional treat for this holiday is feseekh, which I can only translate as 'smelly fish'. In fact, it is salted gray mullet. This tradition also extends from the pharaohs. I've tasted it once, in my first Sham el Nessim. Once was enough!
Smiles and cheer abounded. On the ferry we gained many new friends.
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