Egypt’s state religion is Islam, with around 80-90% of its population being Muslim, whilst the majority of the remaining population belongs to the Christian Coptic Orthodox Church.
The Islamic calendar
The Islamic calendar is used by Muslims to determine the days on which to observe Islamic holidays and festivals. It is a lunar calendar, with one year lasting around 354 or 355 days and is not based on the seasons, meaning that the days on which certain festivals are celebrated will not always coincide with the same dates on the Gregorian (western) calendar.
The years are named Hijri, and the months are as follows (allowing for spelling variations):
Muharram, Safar, Rabīʿ I, Rabīʿ II, Jumādā I, Jumādā II, Rajab, Shaʿbān, Ramadān, Shawwāl, Dhū al-Qiʿda, Dhū al-Hijja.
Since a new lunar month starts when the lunar crescent is first seen by a human observer, it is difficult to give accurate information in advance about the Islamic calendar. Calendars are printed for the purposes of planning, but these are based on estimates and so the dates may change.
Islam is the state religion, and so Islamic holidays are followed by the entire population. Christian holidays, meanwhile, are not national holidays although Christians are allowed to observe them. National holidays that fall on the same day every western calendar year include:
- January 7 - Christmas
- January 25 - Egyptian Revolution Day (the beginning of the 2011 Revolution)
- April 25 - Sinai Liberation Day
- May 1 - Labour Day
- July 23 - Revolution Day (Revolution of 1952)
- October 6 - Armed Forces Day
Those based on the Islamic calendar will vary:
- Monday following Orthodox Easter - Sham el Nissim
- 1 Muharram - Islamic New Year
- 12 Rabīʿ I - Birthday of the Prophet Muhammad
- 1-3 Shawwāl - Eid al-Fitr
- 10-13 Dhū al-Ḥijja - Eid al-Adha
There are also other celebration days, however government offices are likely to remain open:
- January 1 - New Year’s Day
- January 3 - Sportsmen’s Day
- March 21 - Mother’s Day
- June 18 - Evacuation Day
- August 15 (two weeks) - Flooding of the Nile
- October 21 - Egyptian Naval Day
- October 24 - Suez Day
- December 23 - Victory Day
Ramadan is an Islamic holy month, the exact dates of which vary every year, depending on the Islamic calendar. The main ritual of Ramadan is fasting, meaning Muslims are supposed to refrain from eating and drinking between dawn and sunset. A pre-fast meal, Suhoor, is consumed before dawn, and Iftar is eaten at sunset, with the cannon that signals the end of daily fasting often broadcast over television and radio.
Non-muslims are not expected to fast during daylight hours, although, as with any other time of year, it’s important to be respectful of religious customs, and so to refrain from eating, drinking and smoking, both in public and near those who are observing the holy month. Alcohol is not sold during Ramadan, with the exception of some tourist areas, and in this case, only to non-Egyptians. You may find that opening hours of shops and offices change in the month of Ramadan, as well as heavier traffic at the end of the day, when people head home in time for Iftar. People may often stay up later than usual, with gatherings that last into the night.
Eid ul-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan and lasts for three days, with schools, universities and government offices closed for the occasion. The first day usually involves prayers and family visits, and the commonly used greeting for the occasion is ‘Eid Mubarak’. The holiday is often celebrated with cooking, eating, street gatherings, trips and gift-giving.
While some of the other holidays mentioned are celebrated in countries all over the world, others may seem less familiar to you. Rather than simply meaning a day off work, they have some interesting historical background to them.
Flooding of the Nile (Wafaa El Nil): Celebrating the importance of the River Nile in the history of Egypt, this holiday lasts two weeks in August. Before the construction of the Aswan dam in the 1970s, the River Nile would flood annually, allowing for cultivation of the otherwise dry desert land.
Revolution Day (July 23): This holiday marks the military coup in 1952 that led to an independent republic and the end of the monarchy.
Armed Forces Day (October 6): Commemorates the day in 1973 when the Egyptian Army crossed the Suez Canal marking the beginning of the Yom Kippur War.