Hays Travelogue

Tomorrow, May 4, is Hosni Mubarak’s 80th birthday. The opposition parties have called for a general strike to protest rising prices. In April, the military quelled a strike. On Thursday, the government promised a 30% raise to employees. Here are some articles about the problems here.

New York Times, January 17

Der Spiegel, April 18

Washington Post, April 21

BBC, April 22

ADN Kronos, May 3

Tomorrow, the Monday after Coptic Easter, is Shamm al-Nisim (Smelling the Breeze), an ancient spring festival that is still celebrated in Egypt. It’s a national holiday that everyone will spend picnicking in the parks and gardens. The traditional foods associated with Shamm al-Nisim are fisikh (salted raw fish), green onions, boiled eggs dyed with onion peel, lettuce, malana (baby chickpeas), and fuul hirati (green field beans). Lest you think that these foods are what drives everyone out of the house and that maybe you don’t want to smell that breeze, here is the symbolism associated with them.

Green onions ward off evil spirits and the evil eye and cure diseases. Fisikh symbolizes preservation from hunger. Eggs mean new life, and colored eggs mean that the life to come will be happy and cheerful. Lettuce, chickpeas, and beans represent fertility. The beans are also considered to be an aid to digestion.

Wherever you are tomorrow, enjoy the breeze.

My friend’s daughter, Lisa Gill, is a talented poet. Lisa was a big help to me when I began to read and write for a wider audience than the tiny one of two friends who sat on my front porch 30 years ago. Here is a video of Lisa reading at UNM for National Poetry Month.

My contribution in the latest issue of Sin Fronteras.