Egypt’s Exceptional Festival Offerings

When most people think of holidaying in Egypt, they likely picture themselves visiting the Pyramids of Giza, setting their eyes upon the Great Sphinx, or perhaps taking a camel ride through the desert. However, there's much more to Egypt than its most quintessential tourist offerings, with one example being the country's fantastic festivals and events.

Egypt's festivals and religious carnivals - also known as mulid - are often associated with a specific Sufi or Coptic saint. However, many Egyptians seem to get involved in all of the events, regardless of their own religious beliefs. The ancient springtime festival of Sham en Nisim (associated with a Coptic saint) has been celebrated by Egyptians for thousands of years, usually between the months of Paremoude (April) and Pashons (May), after Easter Sunday. Alternatively, Ramadan has long been celebrated with music and lights from lanterns called fawanees. Music festivals are also abundant in Egypt, with the country becoming one of the strongest in the Middle Eastern music industry. Rock and metal music are also becoming fashionable alongside oriental jazz and traditional Egyptian folk music.

One of Egypt’s most popular festivals is the Abu Simbel Festival, a sun festival held in February and October of each year. During this event, crowds fill the Abu Simbel Temple at sunrise to witness the light moving across the temple's inner stone, in turn illuminating the statues of Ramses, Ra and Amun.

The story is told that the Egyptian King Ramses II precisely angled this temple so that the inner sanctum would light up twice each year - once on his birthday, and once on the anniversary of his rise to the throne. Interestingly enough, only the inner sanctum of the temple lights up, while the statue of Ptah (the god of darkness) remains in the shadows.

However, the sun now strikes the stone one day late each year. The reason being that in the early 1960s Lake Nasser rose and flooded the area and the entire temple was moved to higher ground. Since then the sun has struck the stone a day later than Ramses had originally planned. Even so, this festival attracts countless people each February and October to experience the intriguing effect of the sun on the stones.

So, consider planning your Egypt holidays around something like the Abu Simbel Festival and enjoy what so many have witnessed before. You’re guaranteed to come away with a truly exceptional experience of Egypt.