Naser Secondary School for Boys – Assiut – EGYPT
Mondialogo Engineering Award 2007
“Young Environmentalists” Team

Egyptian Customs and Traditions
1. Wedding Ceremony:
An Egyptian wedding is a very special ceremony for Egyptian families. Before marriage, there are many chances for men and women to meet. There is a custom in the Egyptian family that the oldest daughter is to marry before the youngest. An engagement period is given in order for the couple to become familiar with each other. The groom-to-be and his parents reach an agreement where the groom is to pay a dowry and buy the bride a gift of precious stones or gold. The custom is now that the official wedding must take place in a church or mosque.
Reception parties include singing, dancing, a banquet and a lot of guests. The bride wears ordinary bridal dress and the groom wears a black suit or a tuxedo. The ceremony stars with a car parade. The wedding car is decorated with flowers and ribbons. A wedding hall is prepared for the couple in a hotel. When the bride and groom reach the hotel, a band of belly dancers and drummers surrounding the bride and groom, singing happy songs and dancing receives them.
A rose drink is passed to the guests and all drink to their health. Then, the bride and groom switch rings from right index fingers to left index fingers. Then comes the cutting of the cake. The bride and groom cut the cake. The bride then tosses her flower bouquet behind her back to other hopeful families. Whoever catches the bouquet is lucky because she is thought to be the next to marry. Next, the couple opens the buffet for the guests, which is usually a wide variety of salads, meats, stews and sweets.
If you visit Egypt, keep an eye out for weddings. Don't hesitate to ask permission to join wedding. Sing, dance and enjoy the culture of Egypt.

2. New Born Baby Ceremony:
Welcoming a new born baby in Egypt is accompanied with pride and great joy. The custom dictates that first-born sons are particularly desired in the Egyptian Culture. If the mother looks happy and full of life, it is assumed that she is expecting a boy. If her face and body are covered with rashes or there is discolouring or redness, then the mother is thought to carry a girl. By the time the mother is six months along in the pregnancy, the shape of her belly is thought to indicate the gender of the future baby. Perfectly round bellies indicate a boy while those that are not are to predict a girl.
On the seventh day after the birth of a baby, the family gathers. Celebrations start with the baby taking a bath and then getting dressed in a new outfit. The mother and the women of the family are responsible for preparing a feast and cooking a meal containing slaughtered sheep or lamb.
The event starts by scattering salt on the mother and around the house to keep the evil eye away. Then, the baby is placed in a decorated container where he or she is taken for a tour in the family home, followed by members of the family carrying candles. During this ceremony, the mother steps over the baby seven times without touching it. Grandparents shake the baby horizontally and give him or her orders to obey their family. Finally after the meal, the bags full of candies, sweets, gold and silver coins are distributed to all attendants.

3. Festivities:
In Egypt, there are two major Moslem festivities namely, Festival of Breaking the Fast celebrating the end of the religious month Ramadan and Festival of Sacrifice which coincides with the pilgrimage and commemorates Prophet Abraham's sacrifice of a sheep in place of his son Ismael. In Christianity, there are also two major festivities namely, Festival of Christ's birth and Festival of Easter.
Festival of Breaking the Fast is celebrated by Muslims after fasting the month of Ramadan as a matter of thanks and gratitude to the Mighty God. It is a happy celebration with new clothes, gifts and plenty of good food. Festival of Sacrifice is celebrated by slaughtering sheep and distributing parts of them to the poor.
Festival of Christ's birth is celebrated by Christians after fasting 55 days as a matter of showing joy and happiness for the Christ's birth. It takes place on the 7th day of January. Festival of Easter is celebrated as a matter of joy for Christ's resurrection.
In such festivities, neighbours, friends and relatives start greeting each other. Children are normally given gifts. They wear new clothes and go out to amusement parks, gardens or public courtyards. Friends and families go on picnics in green areas including parks, zoos, botanical gardens and felucca Nile rides. Festivities are a time for family gatherings. The family gatherings involve cooking and eating all kinds of food and cookies.
So, if your visit to Egypt coincides with one of these festivities, you can share with Egyptians their celebrations.

4. Holidays:
One of the most popular holidays in Egypt is Sham el Nessim, literally meaning sniffing the breeze. It marks the beginning of the spring. It falls immediately on the first Monday following the Coptic Easter.
Early in the morning of this day, many people, especially women, break an onion, smell it and then put it in front of the house door. It is a tradition that onions keep the evil eye away and prevent envy.
On this day, many people spend time outdoors in the open. They ride or walk to the country, go on Nile cruise or go to public parks. People prepare their food, then take it with them and enjoy the breeze of the spring. This day is also celebrated by eating traditional foods like salted fish, green onions and boiled coloured eggs. In the early morning, children colour eggs and enjoy playing with them.

5. Egyptian Cuisine:
Taking a broad look at the Egyptian foods, bread stands out as being the most important component of the Egyptian diet. Ful Medamis, brown beans which are cooked by boiling, is proclaimed the most popular national dish of Egypt. It is served as a meal at any time of the day, accompanied with green salad, pickles and bread. Oil, salt, lemon and falvoures are added to the beans.
Tameya, skinned beans which are ground to a paste with spices and falvoures added to it and then cooked in boiling oil, is another popular national dish of Egypt. It is also served as a meal at any time of the day, accompanied with green salad, pickles and bread.
Ground cumin and pepper, dried mint, parsley, garlic, onions, olives and pickles are the principal flavour givers in the Egyptian cuisine.
So, if you visit Egypt, try to taste and enjoy the specialties of the Egyptian foods and popular dishes and desserts.

6. Egyptian Clothing:
The Egyptian people are keen on wearing the latest fashionable clothes, especially the youth and women. Men wear suits or casual clothes. Women wear dresses, blouses and skirts. Occasions have their special clothes. At home, people usually wear pyjamas or a long garment called "gallabeya".

Naser Secondary School For Boys – Assiut – EGYPT
Mondialogo Engineering Award 2007
“Young Environmentalists” Team

EGYPT: Land and Culture
This is EGYPT:
1- Common Nicknames of Egypt:
- The Mother of the World
- Land of Civilizations
- Land of Quiver
2- Egypt is reputed for its distinct 7,000-years-old record of civilization.
3- Egypt has been a pioneer of science, arts, culture, and architecture as well as almost all fields of human knowledge.
4- The current name of Egypt was derived from the Greek word “Aigyptus”.
5- More important is that Egypt was mentioned in the Bible and the Holy Qura’n. Egypt is the land of heavenly religions.
6- To the world, Egypt is as vital as the heart to the body. It links the ancient world to the new world.
7- We are living now in the age of globalization and the communication and information revolution, whereby Egypt can smoothly cope with rapid changes of the 3rd millennium.

Land and Population:
1- Location and Borders: Egypt is bounded to the north by the Mediterranean, to the east by Sea, to the northeast by Palestine and Israel, to the west by Libya and to the Red the south by Sudan.
2- Area: Egypt has a total area of about one million km2 of which 5.5% are populated.
3- Capital: Cairo is the capital of Egypt. It is the largest city in the Arab World and in Africa. Cairo’s population is estimated at 17 millions.
4- Physical features: Egypt is divided into four major parts: Nile valley and Delta which is 4% of the total area of the country while the remaining area is desert, Western Desert, Eastern Desert and Sinai Peninsula.
5- Climate: Egypt lies within the dry tropical region, except for the northern parts that lie within the warm moderate region.
6- Water Resources: Egypt depends for its water supply on three freshwater sources namely: surface water from the Nile, rain, storm water and subterranean water.
7- Population: In 2005, the population residing within the country is estimated at about 72 million.

Culture:
1- The Egyptian culture is based on customs, traditions, inherited values and, most important, religion.
2- Egypt possesses more than one third of world monuments, representing successive series of civilizations.
3- One of the landmarks of Egypt’s culture is its heritage of customs, traditions and values based on religion and human morals and ethics. Of these are tolerance, love, social solidarity, family ties, national unity, joy and grief sharing, and believing in the One God.
4- Of the most popular local dishes in Egypt are “ta’meya” and “foul” (made from beans), and of drinks are tea and coffee.
5- Costumes differ according to its occasion. Women and men in cities and urban areas are
dressed in the latest fashion. People in rural communities and villages have their own special clothing.
6- Egyptians have their religious and national feasts and festivals. In such occasions celebrations are held. In religious feasts, congratulations are exchanged between the Moslems and Christians.
7- The official religion in Egypt is Islam. Christianity is found in Egypt.
8- Arabic language is considered the official language of the state. English is taught in schools and universities as a foreign language.
9- In fact, Egypt has its own distinct culture distinguished among all cultures all over the world.

Come to Egypt:
1- If you would like to see and experience a great part of the human history and the far past world, come to Egypt.
2- Come to Egypt and you will enjoy its fine weather, natural scenery and landscape. You will enjoy our wonderful ancient monuments, remains and fantastic sights.
3- Come to Egypt and you will find peace, security, love, tolerance, friendliness, and assistance.
4- Come to Egypt and you will find a great country with great history and civilization. You will find good people.


Assiut, Our City
1- Assiut is one of the oldest and most important cities in Egypt. It occupies a venerable position in the history of Egypt. The history of Assiut goes back to the Pharaonic age.

2- The name "Assiut" is derived from the word "Saut" which means "the guard". After the Islamic advent into Egypt, the Arabs uttered the old Pharaonic name (Suit) and added a letter to become Assiut.

3- Assiut lies on the River Nile banks, 375 km south of Cairo. It has an area of about 25929 km sq and a population of about 3.5 million. The climate is dry and warm in winter and dry and hot in summer with little rain.

4- Assiut possesses a cultural heritage from different historical ages: the Pharaonic age, the Coptic age and the Islamic age.

5- One of the landmarks of the Coptic age is AL- Muharrak Monastery. It is a well – known monastery, situated almost in the middle of Egypt, 327 km. south of Cairo, 45 km north of Assiut town. It is surrounded by a 12 m. high wall like that of old Jerusalem. The Holy Family: Virgin Mary, Jesus and Joseph the carpenter stayed in this area 6 months and some days. The Monastery has the worlds oldest altar and church and the famous fortress.

6- The Islamic culture in Assiut is represented in the several historic mosques as well as the old commercial agencies. These mosques reveal the beauty of architecture in the Islamic era.

7- Of Assiut's modern sights are Assiut's Barrages across the Nile, Assiut University and Al-Azhar University.

8- Assiut has made big achievements along the way of development. In the agricultural sector, Assiut is famous for cultivating crops like cotton, wheat, corn, maize, tomatoes and oranges.

9- In the industrial sector, Assiut is well known for big industries like fertilizers, drugs, cement and petroleum products, sugar, wood, textiles and carpets.

10- In the tourist sector, Assiut has a lot of tourist attractions. The local authorities in Assiut have given due care for tourist facilities including hotels, travel agencies and tourist service offices.

11- As for education and health, Assiut provides education and health services for all its citizens. There are elementary and high schools as well as a regional university. There are hospitals and health centers everywhere.

12- Concerning sports and culture, Assiut is giving great interest in both sectors. There are Assiut Sports Stadium, sporting clubs and youth hostles all over Assiut. There is a cultural center and a folk band.

13- Assiut is stepping forward and taking great steps towards the 3rd millennium characterized by globalization, communication and information revolution and comprehensive development.

14- It would be a great experience to you if you could come and visit Assiut.

Zagazig is one famous towns ....Zagazig is famous for Arab horses in all over the world _Hockey team is aslo famous that they won 15 times in Africa ...many wonderful things in Zagazig that was a small village work in Solar energy in most houses ...you can come and look if you want send me on brain_heart_energy@yahoo.com

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