Welcome to the Land of the Pyramids?

How well do you know the Christmas story? What happened AFTER the manger and the angels and shepherds and wise men? Do you know? An angel came to Joseph in a dream and warned of Herod's mission to find and kill the Child. Joseph packed everyone up then and there and headed to Egypt.

Today we are headed to Egypt ourselves. I was wondering how much of this part of the Christmas story would be recognized or if it had been dominated by the addition of Islam to the religious landscape. It turns out that there is still a very strong Christian presence and therefore Christmas is actually a very prominent celebration.

Something I was not aware of is that the Church in Egypt (called the Coptic Church) is a branch of the Catholic Church but they recognize St. Mark as their founder rather than St. Peter. The Church does not celebrate Christmas on December 25th however. They recognize January 7th as Christmas instead. The holiday is a long and very festive season in Egypt because of the visit of the Holy Family.

In some cities there are complete streets of shops that dedicate thier wares to Christmas this time of year. One particular item that was mentioned on several websites caught my eye (this one is for you J Jiggety!) Apparently there is such a thing as a belly dancing Santa! Try as I might I couldn't find one but please know that I put a lot of effort into it!

Christmas services are held at midnight followed by the ringing of the church bells. Part of the celebration includes a period of fasting daily. When Egyptians eat in the evenings they are only allowed foods that have no animal source (no meat, fish, milk, or eggs). After the Christmas midnight service they go home for a feast including meat and rice called "fatta."

Decorations are heavy with candles and lanterns in tribute to Joseph who legend tells lit candles to warm Mary the night of the Nativity. Another bit of interest for me was that the Christmas holiday is actually a heavy tourist season. In the early 20th century European families would vacation in Egypt for the warmer climate. The hotels however went out of their way to create a Christmas feel with artificial snow and trees. The guests would dress to the nines and celebrate with grand parites. The tourism continues today but maybe without all the snow and trees.

Eid (remember Chris's tour yesterday?) is also celebrated by the Muslim population in the country. But the interesting aspect to me is that the two celebrations are held siultaneously and peacefully. Something to think about!

And Back to your regularly Scheduled Ridiculous!

Welcome back to the "real" Zoo. Oh yeah. Today we will be back to the normal nonsense that is my brain. No tissues necessary. So tell me - are you having fun looking into my holiday habits? I'm finding so many kindred sprirts out there. It's nice to know I'm not the only crazy one.

So here we go! Day 7!

Sponsors: Sillymonkeez and My baby bump

VIP BLOGS to visit are Parent Reviewers , Mom Most Traveled, Mommy Zabs, MomStart, HipposToes, Run DMT

And the question today?

Who’s on your naughty list? Whose on your nice list? Why?

Well, in case you missed my dissertation on the Naughty and Nice List and its origins and standards you better pop over here. No really! Go! You really want to avoid my Naughty List. So you made it back? Good. Now that you understand my thoughts on the list, let me go ahead and give you my list and the why’s behind it.

Naughty but on probation list: The folks at the deli counter.
Why? Because you just handed me one sample slice of bologna when you can clearly see there are three children with me. Do you really dislike me that much? Do you really want to hear my children wailing about “his piece is bigger than mine” or “she got an extra bite” for the next hour while I wind my way through the store?

Now I only put you on probation because if you change your ways you will definitely elevate yourself to the nice list. Not just for eliminating the fighting and arguing, but for putting something in their mouths so that I get to enjoy just a few moments of quiet.

Nice but up for review list: My children
I mean it! I will make the call to the Pole. You have been incredibly sweet and polite to strangers in recent months. If you would be so kind as to bring some of that home on a more frequent basis, you could really solidify your spot on the list. As is, you are clinging by your thin little fingernails and I am considering getting the clippers.

Marmoset, you are cute and all but if you are unable to find a way to control those flapping, running in place fits of yours I will be forced to put you on probation.

Rhino, you have done an incredible job of moving up recently with your newly developed bathroom habits. However if you do not stop aggravating Orangutan on a regular basis, you will find yourself in the PO’s office with Marmoset.

Orangutan, you had better get it together. I understand that you are getting in touch with your emotions but if you keep pushing the “panic,” “distress,” and “sensitivity” buttons I am going to push the button that demotes you to naughty.

Permanent nice list: My regular followers and commenters here at the Zoo.
Santa will be bringing you all higher page ranks and lots of “You won!” giveaway notices in the near future.

Permanent naughty list: Wall Street Fat Cats with Multi-million Dollar Bonuses
Ya’ll suck! Now wire America’s money back from the Caymans and Switzerland and anywhere else you tucked it away so that we can get ourselves back on our feet (or to the spa!) instead of having the government do it for us (or you in the case of the spa – business conference, my livestock trailer). Losers!

Wanna know if you made someone's naughty list? Pop over to Mom Dot and make sure you check all those other Naughty List posts. You can never be too careful this time of year!!