Loving our neighbours in a Ramadan summer – July 2014
July 2014“Friska… friska…” That’s what you’ll inevitably hear on the shores of Alexandria. “Friska” is a popular wafer and honey treat commonly sold on Alexandria beaches. It’s summertime! Summer is family time for Egyptians. Extended family members usually enjoy travelling together to the various resorts throughout the country. From the North Coast Mediterranean Sea with its beautiful turquoise waters to a […]
His Spirit is with us – June 2014
June 2014“When you strip it of everything else, Pentecost stands for power and life. That’s what came into the church when the Holy Spirit came down on the day of Pentecost.” – David Wilkerson, The Cross and the Switchblade Two events gave a fresh and powerful impetus to the disciples of Jesus after their Master had died on the cross. The […]
A president’s inauguration: joy and questions – June 2014
“Tahya Masr,” Arabic for “Long live Egypt” is the phrase I heard repeatedly as I stood in the long lines awaiting to cast my ballot for Egypt’s president. A statement fuelled by hope, driven by patriotism, and unashamedly declaring a clear intention to vote for El-Sisi, who chose “Tahya Masr” as a very clever campaign slogan. Three long election days […]
Holy Fire – April 2014
April 2014It is Saturday afternoon. Crowds are waiting, eyes are anticipating, hearts are eager to receive the light or “the Holy Fire” as it has been traditionally called. We are in a place no other than the Holy Sepulchre Church in Jerusalem. You can barely find a room for one’s feet to step in. In fact, people seem to be on […]
Reliving the Passion – April 2014
“Ekhristos Anesti!” “Alithos Anesti!” These are words commonly heard in Egyptian Christian circles at this time: “Christ is risen!” we greet one another, “He is risen indeed!” we reply. Happy Easter! It’s a busy time for Christians in Egypt. Coptic Orthodox Christians, who make up about 90 per cent of the Christian population here, spend Passion Week, the last week […]
Mums make history – March 2014
March 2014March 21st is Mother’s Day in Egypt. It’s a big day everywhere in Egypt, marked by fun family gatherings at mum or grandma’s house, gifts, flowers, and songs celebrating mothers on national television. But what is Mother’s Day really all about? Curious about March 21st and where it originated, I dug a little into the history of Mother’s Day in […]
Too great expectations – February 2014
February 2014Hello and greetings from Cairo, Egypt! Well, a lot has been going on in Egypt in the past three years. After 30 years of political stability, suddenly two major revolutions occurred ousting two presidents, and resulting in much political and social turmoil. I’d like to reflect on one of the major current happenings in Egypt, the upcoming presidential elections. But […]
Hopes and dreams – January 2014
January 2014It was the penultimate day before Near Years’ Eve and people had already started posting their greetings and comments on Facebook: “Happy new year!” “A few hours till 2014” and “What a terrible year this has been!” someone moaned. Others were posting advertisements encouraging people to listen to a radio programme hosting an astrologer. Presumably he would try to answer […]