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| Hello, and welcome to the Culture Class — Holidays in Egypt Series at ArabicPod101.com. In this series, we’re exploring the traditions behind Egyptian holidays and observances. I’m John, and you're listening to Lesson 10, Mother's Day. In Egyptian Arabic, it’s called [عيد الأم (ʿiyd el-ʾum)]. |
| In Egypt, Mother's Day is a celebration to let mothers, or [أم (ʾumm)], know how important they are and to show them more appreciation than usual. |
| Now, before we get into more detail, do you know the answer to this question— |
| What are the charitable activities Egyptians do on a day like this? |
| If you don't already know, you’ll find out a bit later. Keep listening. |
| The Mother's Day tradition is relatively recent; it began in the early twentieth century. The origin of Mother’s Day in the Arab world is attributed to the late journalist Ali Amin and his brother Mostafa Amin, who both founded the Akhbar Al-Youm newspaper. They proposed dedicating a day to be called "Mother's Day" and they asked that this day be a public feast in Egypt. It was decided that this day would be on March 21, as it is the first day of spring, or [الربيع (el-rrabiyiʿ)]. |
| During this day, Egyptian people all become keen to present a gift, or [هدية (hdeyyah)], not only to their mothers, but also to grandmothers, aunts, and to every woman who had an essential role in their lives and contributed to their education, such as female teachers. Also, children become used to presenting a small gift to their mothers from an early age on. |
| For a long time now, several Egyptian songs, or [أغنية (ʾoġneyyah)], have been dedicated to mothers, such as the song "Good morning my queen" by the famous artist Soad Hosni, as well as many other songs. Many schools become interested in holding special celebrations, during which children will sing songs that are dedicated to mothers and dance along to music. They also teach children in schools to create a typical Mother’s Day greeting card, or [كارت عيد الأم (kārt ʿīd el-ʾum)], and write a dedication on them to their mothers. |
| On Mother's Day, streets become full of flower stalls, creating a carnival of flowers. Also, confectionary stores offer the best sweets in the form of hearts which are made especially for Mother's Day. |
| And now I'll give you the answer to the earlier quiz. |
| What are the charitable activities Egyptians do on a day like this? |
| Many people who like to do volunteer activities, or [انشطة تطوعية |
| (ʾanšiṭaẗun taṭawwuʿiyyah)], go to aged care homes to visit the mothers who were abandoned by their children or those who don't have children, in order to show them their feelings of affection and love. |
| So listeners, how was this lesson? How do you celebrate mothers in your country? Let us know in the comments below and we’ll see you next time! Bye! إلى اللقاء (ʾilā al-liqaāʾ)! |
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