The core values, traditions, and the exceptional culture of the Egyptian society are exactly what make your experience in Egypt unique. So, if you want to blend in and feel like an Egyptian as quick as possible, you might want to learn a bit more about the customs and the known tradition that the Egyptian follows in their lifestyle. It is very advisable that you try living the whole experience of being in Egypt. It is very amusing the way Egyptians evolved and fused the customs and traditions of other nations whether those nations were invaders or allies into the ancient Egyptian cultures. They concluded some of their traditions based on the three Ibrahimic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The interesting fact is that these traditions evolve and grow with time, Therefore, once you immerse yourself in the Egyptian traditions, you would feel yourself traveling across time and space, yes, like a time capsule. Want to live the ageless wonders of Egypt? Then plan your next vacation to be in the land of the pharaohs.
Hospitality and the love of hosting are at the heart of every Egyptian. Across all social levels, you will see how Egyptians treat their visitors highly, especially foreigners. Even if they are not very rich, you will find them searching for anything in their households to serve you with. They smile and offer help as much as they do for their family members. However, indeed like any society, there are dishonest people, so you will also need to have a good intuition about who you are dealing with and not trust everyone you see.
Family values are very induced into the Egyptian culture. You might want to see at as the most vital element in the whole culture picture. That is the reason why Egypt is considered to be safer than most of the other countries, for example you can go out very late at night at certain places in Egypt and you won’t feel much danger. If you see someone smiling at you, there is no need to be afraid. Random smiles are another way to say good luck!
While you are wandering at the Egyptian streets, you might encounter more than one celebration or festival. Egyptians are fond of music, dancing, and songs, and they have their own great legend in these matters. These celebrations could be for just folkloric purposes, religious, or contemporary. They do usually have very delicious food served and linked with each certain type of celebrations. Examples on those celebrations are Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha. Coptic Orthodox Christmas, Coptic Orthodox Easter, Sham Ennessim, Abu Simbel Sun Festival that takes place in February, Sandbox Music Festival, the beginning of the Islamic New Year, many call it EL Hijra, Mild un Nabi, and the other Sun Festival in October.
Religions in Egypt are the strongest and most powerful force that shaped a lot of the Egyptian mentality. 90% of the Egyptian population are Muslims and the other 10% are Christians. People of both religions share history, language, identity, culture, race, and ethnicity. There is no much difference and they live in a very harmonical atmosphere to the point that they happily sometimes celebrate each other religious holidays. Egyptians cared so much about religions since the start of the time, in the pharaonic era, so they innovated in building temples and extravagant tombs to celebrate ancient Gods. For example, Karnak Temple, Giza Pyramids, and the Valley of the Kings.
Most Egyptians have a modest fashion style which was originally induced by religion. So, you rarely see revealing clothes, such as shorts and short skirts in congested local areas. However, you might see less modest clothes in wealthy areas and on the beach. So, it is suggested that you wear modestly in local and main streets for you to be more comfortable and feel the whole Egyptian experience.
There are many other traditions, but they are mainly funny to hear about. For example, when Egyptians cook El-Mulukhiya, they make a strong inhaling sound of astonishment and surprise. They believe that this sound will make their dish taste better. Other funny tradition is that Egyptians get angry when visitors do not finish their glass of juice because this means to them that their daughters will not get married. Spilling Coffee gets Egyptians upset for this means by the Egyptian culture a sign of bad luck.
On the other side, there are other serious cultural statements. Such as, pointing with your shoes towards someone’s face could be considered by a large group of Egyptians to be an offense. There are much more stories to hear about the Egyptian culture, but these are left for you to discover on your next visit to Egypt.
