Religion

The two major religious groups in Egypt are Islam and Christianity. Islam is the declared state religion and makes up roughly 95% of the population. The majority Egyptians of practicing Islam are Sunni Muslims. The second largest, but significantly smaller, religious group in Egypt are those practicing Christianity. Christians only make up about 5% of the population. Other religions are practiced but do not make up a significant amount of the population, therefore they have less impact over Egyptian customs and culture.

Mosque in Cairo, Egypt

Image Source: Traveler.marriott.com

Ramadan Festival

Image Source: Egypttoursportal.com

Major Beliefs of Islam

Follows the Five Pillars of Islam:

  1. Profession of Faith- "There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God". The Qur'an is the Holy Book.

  2. Prayer- Pray facing Mecca five times a day.

  3. Alms- Donating to community members in need.

  4. Fasting- Ramadan consists of fasting during the daylight hours to honor God

  5. Pilgrimage- Every able Muslim should make at least one visit to the holy city of Mecca and the Ka'ba.

Coptic Church in Aswan, Egypt

Image Source: Google Images

Easter Celebration

Image Source: Google Images

Major Beliefs of Christianity

  • Belief in the Holy Trinity: The father (God), the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit.

  • Christians believe Jesus, the son of God, dies on the cross to forgive their sins.

  • Follow the Holy Bible

  • The Cross is a symbol of Christianity

  • Important celebrations include Christmas, the day of Jesus's birth, and Easter, the day Jesus died on the cross.

  • Follow the 10 Commandments


How Religious Beliefs Influence Egyptian Cuisine:

Main Religious Celebrations:

Islam-

  1. Eid Adha "Festival of Sacrifice": The celebration of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son for God. To celebrate families sacrifice a ram on this day.

  2. Eid el Fitr "Celebration of Breaking the Fast": Celebration after the month of Ramadan. Families come together to share meals. Special foods associated with Eid el Fitr include Baklava and specially cookies called kahk.

  3. Moulid el Nabi "Birth of Prophet Muhammad": Festival celebration with traditional foods and sweets such as halawet el moulid.

  • Muslims are forbidding from eating pork and drinking alcohol.

Christianity-

  1. Eid Moulid el Meseeh "Christmas": Orthodox Christians in Egypt break their fast on Christmas Eve with beef and poultry dishes.

  2. Eid Fiseh "Lent"- Forty day fast before Easter which makes up the season of Lent. During lent certain foods may be forbidden such as meat, fish, eggs, wine, or coffee.

Egyptianfoodculture. EGYPTIAN FOOD CULTURE, 9 Apr. 2017, egyptianfoodculture.wordpress.com/.

History.com Editors. “Christianity.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 13 Oct. 2017, www.history.com/topics/religion/history-of-christianity.

“The Five Pillars of Islam.” Metmuseum.org, 2021, www.metmuseum.org/learn/educators/curriculum-resources/art-of-the-islamic-world/unit-one/the-five-pillars-of-islam.