Traditions and Cultures of Egypt

Traditions and Cultures of Egypt

Introduction

The name Egypt is part of the folklore in many societies that many young people associate with so many different things. It is indeed hilarious unbelievable that many people still think that the things talked about Egypt in the bible are still the same. Imagine a case where Pharaoh is your leader, and the pyramids are part of history, this is what Egyptian culture has had to offer for several years. I have had the pleasure to learn about the Egyptian culture firsthand; hence I have a great recollection of some of the key facets of this unique and great culture. There are key aspects of culture that I managed to learn. One of the most fundamental things that I would like to concentrate on would certainly be the fact that the Egyptian culture has three main segments. The most vital segment is religion. The second one is indeed the issue of family and family structure as well as food. There are other minor aspects of Egyptian culture, such as hospitality, among others. Based on the information I was given, I can confidently believe that the Egyptian culture has been and still is one of the greatest tourist attractions that has shaped the country’s tourism sector hence the need to preserve it.

Religion is the determinant of the social interactions in society; hence the reason I believe that it is the main basis that dictates how the people relate in this society.  This is certainly not the same in American society, where people have different backgrounds that certainly influence how things are done. The people of Egypt have a culture of religious tolerance. This is based on the fact despite being a country full of Muslims and a good number being Christians; the country has been able to coexist. This cuts across the rest of the society in that the people are generally patient with each other and tolerant of diverse views. There are several key religious celebrations in the country. There is the Ramadhan, ‘Eid as well as Christmas, among other Christian holidays such as Easter holidays. The unique thing that is that Muslims usually invite their Christian friends over for the celebrations more so during ‘Eid and surely they are also invited over for Christmas delicacies. There are many mosques in the country compared to the churches; this is because of the huge number of Muslims in the country compared to Christians. Just like pop culture and pop music are the rubber stamps of the American culture, Islam is the rubber stamp of the Egyptian culture; hence everything is about culture is guided by religion, including dress code, marriage, burial as well as food.

Religious confirmation is a challenge to many societies but certainly part of the culture for the Egyptians. Personally, conforming to all the religious dictates for even a week is indeed hard, there are times when busy I may not even have time to pray, but this is not the case in Egypt. For Muslims in Egypt, they usually pray five times a day without fail. Can you imagine that? For the Christians, they will be able to attend all the church functions as dictated in the Christian doctrine without missing, imagine such a life! The Egyptians usually abide by the religious stipulations. Religion has been the main factor that has influenced the dress code in the country. A considerable number of people dress in a given way because it is expected of them from their religious beliefs. This is based on the fact that the Muslims usually marry based on the Islamic culture in that they can be allowed to marry up to four wives. There are traditionally marriage ceremonies are celebrated in Egypt, but then that was not possible since it was in contradiction with the Egyptian cultures. The men were allowed to marry between the age of 16 years and 20 years. On the other hand, women were allowed to get married from the age of 13 years. The men simply chose women. This is to mean once someone had been selected by the man or the man’s family, arrangements could be made for the marriage ceremony to be celebrated. Religion has a towering effect on every aspect of culture, and this evident when religion helps in dictating the kind of foods that are eaten by society.

Many limit their thinking to the bitter herbs and unleavened bread that the Israelites had been told to eat during their last days in Egypt as being the only meals that these people are supposed to eat, but in reality, it is indeed extremely broad. Far from it, the Egyptians have some great foods; if seeing is believing, then I think people should simply believe that fact. The Egyptians have diverse food culture in that apart from the healthy foods and cuisines that are eaten frequently. The foods such as onions, beans, and lentils, as well as vegetables some of the main foods that are consumed in the country. Most of the Egyptians, about 50 percent of the people in the country, take meals that are mainly made of foods that are made up of bread, sugar, butter, ghee as well as vegetable. This is different based on the fact that many societies are trying to run away from animal products based foods. Milk and tea are also part of the main meals that are eaten by a massive chunk of the people in this country. To me, what comes out is the issue of the land of milk and honey, but at the same time would ask a couple of questions. The first one is how come there are many cows to provide milk for the whole country, but there is no red meat for them. Unlike the normal American life where meat is part of the delicacies, in Egypt, it is the complete opposite. I am sure that this is a part of the Egyptian culture that many of us would certainly be interested in trying out. This is mainly because people cannot simply afford red meat hence the reason they turn alternatives such as fish.

Egyptian meals and species are like water and some oil in that they hardly mix even though they are kept in a similar container. This means most of the Egyptian meals do not have species, but it does not mean that a few individuals in this country do not like species. It is the same way in the US where some may claim that they do not like fast foods such as Pizzas and the rest, but in reality, that does not stop the whole nation from eating fast foods. There are small species such as garlic, onion, pepper as well as salt and cumin are some of the common species that are used in the country. There are also other species like saffron as well as a bay leaf that is used in the country.  Several Egyptian dishes have been in existence for over 5000 years ago. Some of these feeds include besarah, grilled meat, fattah, aish as well as koshary. The meals, as well as the sourcing of food, are well documented in the families in that each individual is aware of what their duties are. The foods also play a key part in family celebrations.

Even though there is an agreement that foods form part of family celebrations, the structure of the family is indeed a key issue in this society. Unlike American society, where families vary based on the background in that the African American families may be different from Causation families, it is all different in Egypt. Families are almost the same in terms of structure. Can you imagine a case where the Islamic families have a similar structure to the Christian families? Regardless of whether Christians or Muslims, families have the same distribution of labor. The roles of women are distinct from those of men. The women are mainly given the responsibility of taking care of the homes as well as look after the children. The men are the ones that are tasked with the role of supporting the family financially. Children live with their parents until they get their own families by marrying or getting married. The weddings are guided by the religion in that the Christian wedding will surely be different from Islamic weddings, thereby conforming that religion forms the basis of all societal and cultural aspects.

Summary

The culture of the Egyptian people is the main social fabric that guides the way Egyptian society exists. Even though their various religions in the country, social dictates have been key in ensuring they coexist. The religion, food, dressing as well as the hospitality of the people are based on how people related. Based on the analysis, it is clear that family structure, as well as the social beliefs of the people, have been key in positioning the country as one of the most diverse nations in Africa. In line with speech, it is evident that the Egyptian culture has been and still is one of the greatest tourist attractions that has shaped the country’s tourism sector hence the need to preserve it.

Work Cited

Bortolani, L. M. (2016). Magical Hymns from Roman Egypt: A Study of Greek and Egyptian Traditions of Divinity. Cambridge University Press.

Laboury, D. (2017). Tradition and Creativity. Toward a Study of Intericonicity in Ancient Egyptian Art. (Re) productive Traditions in Ancient Egypt, 229-258.