Mina+Marcos+2

Ch ris tmas in Eg y pt

** I'm Mina Marcos. I'm a first-year secondary student at EL-Hag Hadad Secondary School in Sohag. I'm the writer of 25th Jan Revolution page. I have decided to talk about Christmas in Egypt as one of our Argentinian friends asked us about it. I'll speak about christmas in general around the world, then in Egypt. I will also talk about what Egyptian people do in this special day, the food eaten and the gifts given. ** The Christmas ﻿ Aroun﻿d The World

**Christmas** or **Christmas Day** is a holiday generally observed on December 25 (with alternative days of January 6, 7 and 19]) to commemorate the birth of Jesus, the central figure of Christianity. The actual birthday of Jesus is not known, and the events of his birth are only recorded in two of the Canonical gospels. Christmas may have initially been chosen to correspond with either the day exactly nine months after Christians believe Jesus to have been conceived, the date of the Roman winter solstice, or one of various ancient winter festivals. Christmas is central to the Christmas and holiday season, and in Christianity marks the beginning of the larger season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days. Although nominally a Christian holiday, Christmas is also celebrated by an increasing number of non-Christians worldwide, and many of its popular celebratory customs have pre-Christian or secular themes and origins. Popular modern customs of the holiday include gift-giving, music, an exchange of Christmas cards, church celebrations, a special meal, and the display of various decorations; including Christmas trees, lights, garlands, mistletoe, nativity scenes, and holly. In addition, several figures, known as Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, and Santa Claus, among other names, are associated with bringing gifts to children during the Christmas season.

<span style="color: #ff0a0a; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Enjoy th﻿is song of Christmas!

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<span style="color: #ff2e2e; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #f30707; display: block; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: center;">Christmas <span style="color: #f30707; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">﻿ in﻿ Egypt

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">In January of 2003, Christmas (January 7) was observed as a national holiday in Egypt. In this day, the Coptic Nativity is celebrated by a special midnight service in the church, followed by the ringing of the church's bells. Some Coptic Christians travel to various churches that are traditionally considered to be situated on the route of the Holy Family as they traveled through Egypt, but the largest service is held by the Coptic Pope in Saint Mark's cathedral in Cairo. This service, usually conducted by the Pope at the 11:00 PM service, is even broadcast on Egyptian TV. However, some services may last from about 9:00 PM until as late as 4:00 AM. Most of the churches are decorated with colored lamps, mangers and angels. Most of the faithful attend church in their newest clothes, and it is a very wonderful experience. media type="youtube" key="q-0Q92Be1yo" height="349" width="425" align="center" <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Copts also make special sweet biscuits for the Nativity that are decorated with a cross. In fact, it's the same "kahk" that Muslims make for Eid el fitr. Whether Egyptians are Muslims or Christians, their way in celebration is the same. In the Egyptian Coptic church, a special bread called "Qurban" is given to people during the service in the church and it is also available outside the church after the service. It is made in very large quantities for the big festivals. Qurban bread is decorated with a cross in the middle, surrounded by twelve dots. Of course, those dots represent the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. After the service, families go home to break their fast and children receive new clothes and gifts. The meal is called fatta, and usually consists of meat and rice. On Christmas morning people visit friends and neighbors. Children are given El 'aidia, a feast gift consisting of a small sum of money to buy sweets, toys and ice cream. = <span style="color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: center;">Christma<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">﻿ s Cake   =

= <span style="color: #0000ff; display: block; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: center;">Christma<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">﻿ s Gifts   =



<span style="color: #e50808; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">How Egyptian People Celebrate Christmas:

<span style="color: #0000ff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: left;">Christmas is spent outdoors where you can see children and adults alike in their new clothes playing with toys and fireworks, running around with balloons. Some people like spending their Christmas day in public gardens, playing football or volleyball, or playing on the swings. Nile picnics are a very important part of Egyptian Christmas Traditions. There are feasts by the water, which consists of large cuts of meat and chicken, vegetables, fruit, and non-alcoholic drinks. <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Many Muslims in Egypt even get into the Christmas spirit. Though they may not celebrate Christmas as directly, it is not unusual for Muslims to participate in some of the celebrations, just as Christians in Egypt sometimes celebrate Muslim holidays. This is really one of the more interesting aspects of Egyptian life, where there is sometimes a surprising amount of interfaith coexistence. media type="youtube" key="67wn1-VjnHw" height="349" width="425" align="center"

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">At the end, I want to thank all people who see my topic and special thanks to Ms Azhar because she givs us a golden chance to be heard and seen all over the world through our wiki. I'm very happy as I could express my feelings to our homeland "Egypt". One more word for all people from all over the world, Please Come Back To Egypt!

== <span style="color: #800000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: left;">Res<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">﻿ ources ==

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