Facts about Egypt at Christmas

Christmas in Egypt has a different taste, not only the streets’ decorations with the lights, Christmas trees, and Cheerful colors.

In Egypt, Chrismas is amazing as it has some different facts than Christmas in any other country with so special religious rites.

To know more about Christmas in Egypt and its amazing facts, you have to keep reading this blog.

You will read in this article

Feeling Lost ?

Plan with us! Your dream vacation is a click away.

Christmas date in Egypt

The first fact you need to know about Christmas in Egypt is that the Egyptian Christians celebrate Christmas on a different date than the other countries.

they celebrate Christmas on the 7th of January every year with special prayers in the church.

Fasting days before Christmas

The second fact is that the Orthodox Christians in Egypt start to fast for a period of 43 days starting from the 25th of Nov before celebrating christ’s birth on the 7th of Jan.

This fasting includes mainly vegan meals and excludes any meat, chicken, or dairy products, but this long period of fasting will lead to a very big and delicious meal from the amazing Egyptian food on Christmas eve.

How Egyptians spend their Christmas Eve

Here is your third fact which is Christmas eve in Egypt is totally different, Christians celebrate it in the churches to have a special liturgy, this happens in the churches located all over Egypt and at the same time. These prayers start usually from 10.30 pm and continue until midnight.

Special Egyptian food in Christmas 

After the end of the prayers, everyone goes to their home and prepare their stomach for a very big and yummy meal that contains all kinds of food that were forbidden in the Advent fast.

One famous dish from Egyptian Christmas food is the “Fata” which is kind of a lamp soup with some rice, bread, red sauce with garlic, and of course the lamp meat, besides all the delicious Egyptian food.

In the morning they start visiting the families and friends and taking the feast sweats with them.

Egyptians have a special kind of sweats that made on any holiday, which is “Kahk and biscuits” and many items made specifically for the celebration of the feast.

Not only the Christians made these kinds of sweats, but all the Egyptians also made these sweats as a tradition to celebrate their feasts.

Further Reading: Best Egyptian Local Food Favorites & Where to Eat Them

Christmas gathers all Egyptians

The most important fact is that Christmas is the only religious feast that gathers all Egyptians to celebrate it together.

At Christmas time you will find all the malls and public places have Christmas decoration especially the Christmas tree.

This is because ُEgyptians count the celebration of Christmas is a celebration of a new year based on the Gregorian calendar, which is applied all over the world.

All these facts about Christmas in Egypt will give you a great chance to try celebrating Christmas in a different way and to learn about the customs and traditions of other countries.

In Egypt, your Christmas is more fun and completely different, start your arrangments for Egypt Christmas Tours now.

Your Journey, Your Way

Every traveler is different — let’s create a bespoke itinerary that’s perfectly aligned with your dreams.

Related Articles

Facts About Queen Nefertiti
Nefertiti is a famous and mysterious name in ancient Egyptian history! Everyone enjoys knowing mo...
Facts about Queen Cleopatra
Queen Cleopatra is one of the most famous rulers of Ancient Egypt, and it has a mysterious histor...

Related Tours

Budget Tour to Cairo, Aswan to Luxor Nile Cruise & Re...

Start from
aView Tour Details

Relaxing Nile Cruise Trip and Pyramids

Relaxing Nile Cruise Trip and Pyramids gives you the chance to explore..
Start from
aView Tour Details

Honeymoon Tour Package

Did you ever dream to spend your honeymoon in Egypt; in the..
Start from
aView Tour Details

Luxury Cairo & Nile Cruise Tour

Do you dream to spend an unforgettable vacation in Egypt, this wonderful..
Start from
aView Tour Details

Sun Boat III Nile Cruise

Sanctuary Sun Boat III is an intimate river yacht with a beautiful..
Start from
aView Tour Details
Why Book With Us?

What Our Travelers Say

Hear real stories and experiences from our happy travelers who made unforgettable memories with us
Posted on Google Google
Marwa Ahmed profile picture
Marwa Ahmed
12 days ago
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
شركه محترمه وبتوفر ناس محترمه للتعامل والتعامل معاهم سهل ومريح ولو كلمتهم ف اي وقت بلاقيهم
Posted on Tripadvisor Tripadvisor
Ash D profile picture
Ash D
88 days ago
Tripadvisor star 1Tripadvisor star 2Tripadvisor star 3Tripadvisor star 4Tripadvisor star 5Verified
6/5 stars 6/5 stars GAT tours took care of every detail and were amazing in every way. Would highly recommend them
Posted on Tripadvisor Tripadvisor
Ihor George C profile picture
Ihor George C
157 days ago
Tripadvisor star 1Tripadvisor star 2Tripadvisor star 3Tripadvisor star 4Tripadvisor star 5Verified
Trip of a lifetime We just got back from a family "trip of a lifetime" to Egypt: 3 couples arrived in Cairo from different parts of US and Canada, at different flights and times, and yet the reception and arrival coordination and documents arrangement could not have been smoother. All was arranged, and the trip was custom designed by Ahmet from GAT Tours. We were a bit apprehensive considering the issues in the Middle East, but really there never has been a moment of concern and a complete feeling of safety as we were chauffeured, flown and sailed to the various destinations of this great country of Egypt. We visited the important sites around Cairo : the fantastic, new, Grand Egyptian Museum, the pyramids, the Sphinx, Civilization Museum, the market, Citadel, and other sites. Our hotel was first class. Our voyage down the Nile from Luxor was in upgraded suites (courtesy of GAT) on top of the line Sonesta Cruise line : gourmet meals in absolute comfort! We were lucky to have Asmaa in Cairo and Simon in Luxor and Aswan to guide us through the exhilarating sites of Karnak Temple, Valley of the Kings, Kim Ombo, Edfu, Abu Simbel etc. in a very knowledgeable and entertaining fashion. WOW !! What a trip. GAT Tours made it happen. George C.
Posted on Tripadvisor Tripadvisor
Andrew C profile picture
Andrew C
163 days ago
Tripadvisor star 1Tripadvisor star 2Tripadvisor star 3Tripadvisor star 4Tripadvisor star 5Verified
Fantastic family trip to Cairo and Luxor. GAT tours was great Our tour guides Asmaa and Simon made our trip to Cairo and our Nile cruise so much more meaningful.
Posted on Tripadvisor Tripadvisor
Marc C profile picture
Marc C
163 days ago
Tripadvisor star 1Tripadvisor star 2Tripadvisor star 3Tripadvisor star 4Tripadvisor star 5Verified
Cairo and Nile Cruise This was an excellent tour! GAT Tours planned every detail and was very accommodating. We were initially going to cancel the tour considering the recent instability in the Gulf Region, however, the tour manager (Ahmed Omar) ensured our safety. We felt very safe in the hands of our tour guides (Asmaa - in Cairo and Simon in Luxor/Aswan). Both tour guides were extremely knowledgeable, personable, engaging, and advised us well on how to save time and money at the various sites and markets. Strongly recommend Asmaa and Simon as tour guides! Our travel/logistics person (Seif) was also great. He ensured our transportation, pick-ups, and meals were all on time. Everyone operating the tour was accessible and responsive via iPhone. The tour guides really showed us how rich their culture (ancient or modern) is. Highly recommend this tour: Six adults (incl. 2 seniors). My personal favorites: Valley of the Kings, GEM, and any of the evening tours of the temples!
Posted on Tripadvisor Tripadvisor
Angustias R profile picture
Angustias R
164 days ago
Tripadvisor star 1Tripadvisor star 2Tripadvisor star 3Tripadvisor star 4Tripadvisor star 5Verified
Una agencia muy fiable Fue todo excelente desde Dina hasta Omar el representante de la agencia , los guías auténticos profesionales , nos sentimos muy agustos y protegidos
Posted on Tripadvisor Tripadvisor
Neil91 profile picture
Neil91
166 days ago
Tripadvisor star 1Tripadvisor star 2Tripadvisor star 3Tripadvisor star 4Tripadvisor star 5Verified
Good experience overall It’s a mixed review of the tour and I will divide it into office staff and guide & drivers. Ahmed Omar in Cairo office helped us with our 5 days-Nile cruise and associated sightseeing. He was very prompt, polite and professional. As we didn’t get the morning flight on the day of our cruise, Ahmed helped us book a Luxor hotel for the night before. He also asked us for a personal favour and we obliged. Ahmed was thoughtful and offered to arrange ‘meet and greet’ at Cairo airport, in addition to the pick up on our return to Cairo after the cruise. Mr Mina met us at Cairo airport for helping with visa, Sim and money exchange. Despite Ahmed’s assurance that we would be helped with exchanging money, Mr Mina was walking out without doing that. When my wife pointed that out, he tried to blame us for not reminding him, which was not very nice! At Luxor airport, we were expecting My Ayman, but someone else came, which is fine. He was helpful and went to the hotel with us and next morning picked us up from hotel and dropped us at the cruise. We chose Sonesta star goddess for our trip and Ahmed had arranged everything. The guide Mohamed Refaat met us at 3pm. He said was a freelancer, and that he was given to us because he is a close friend of Mr Ayman. We found difficult to understand his English initially and his knowledge was just ok. He spent 20 minutes outside the Karnak temple talking about canals etc and as a result we had to rush at the end. He didn’t offer to take photos, but obliged whenever we asked. He repeated himself a lot and was not very interesting or engaging. We did think of calling the office to change him but didn’t. In Aswan, he said that we should pay for the felucca ride which was included. And then went on to say that we should pay the driver as he is not paid well and that we have to spend a lot during our Abu Simbel trip. On the final day, Mohamed went to our cruise reception and asked the person to give us an envelope and then turned around and told me to give them tips, before he leaves. That was very disrespectful behaviour and we were angry. Then we went to Abu Simbel and throughout the journey, he mostly chatted with the driver or slept. The driver, Kareem, was holding his phone with his left hand and talking while driving on the highway, which we found quite scary. Despite clearly telling Mohamed that we will not take out money using our card and that we will exchange money when we return to Aswan, after our trip finishes, he kept asking us to take money out throughout the day whenever he saw an ATM, very irritating behaviour. It left us with a bad taste. On the positive side, he was always on time, was friendly and did the basics. There were other little negative things like the car didn’t have water or tissue box, though it was sorted after informing Ahmed twice. It would have been good if someone from Gat tour contacted us directly to see if we were ok. We had to keep texting Ahmed for all minor issues, and he was always prompt. The representatives for Aswan airport and then again at Cairo airport were all on time and professional. So overall it was good. Gat tours is recommended but the guide Mohamed is definitely not.
Posted on Tripadvisor Tripadvisor
Malau M profile picture
Malau M
199 days ago
Tripadvisor star 1Tripadvisor star 2Tripadvisor star 3Tripadvisor star 4Tripadvisor star 5Verified
Agence au top Agence vraiment au top gestion des visites, transports, choix des hôtels malgré des changements d’horaires causer par les avions, une personne était là à chaque étape au moment de notre arrivée. Un grand merci à Dina qui nous a organisé un séjour sur mesure en famille dont nous garderons de merveilleux souvenirs
Posted on Tripadvisor Tripadvisor
Anne profile picture
Anne
202 days ago
Tripadvisor star 1Tripadvisor star 2Tripadvisor star 3Tripadvisor star 4Tripadvisor star 5Verified
The best! Highly recommended! 10 out of 10 The best. Seamless from start to finish. Nothing is too much. Excellent communications. We did the Renaissance 5 day river cruise from Luxor to Aswan. 4 of us. We had our own knowledgeable and very solicitous guide who accompanied us throughout the cruise. GAT also met us at the airport and in Luxor to take us to the boat and introduce us to our tour guide. Everything on time, with clear communication. GAT also booked us the Elite sleeper train from Cairo to Luxor. Their cost was was very reasonable and it was a fabulous experience: a wonderful, clean and well designed compartment with excellent service, they even provided slippers! Mr Omar, one of the managers, based in Cairo, was superb in choreographing our entire trip. Thank you GAT
Posted on Google Google
Ehab Marzouk profile picture
Ehab Marzouk
209 days ago
Google star 1Google star 2Google star 3Google star 4Google star 5Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
شركه في غايه الاحترام .مواعيد محترمه وأسعار مناسبه جدا ..بصراحه مكنتش شايل هم اي حاجه وانا معاهم
Verified by Trustindex
Trustindex verified badge is the Universal Symbol of Trust. Only the greatest companies can get the verified badge who has a review score above 4.5, based on customer reviews over the past 12 months. Read more