EGYPTIANS on Monday celebrated the Sham el-Nessim springtime festival with outdoor parties and picnics, where they enjoyed family reunions and the traditional feast dishes, which included tonnes of the famous pickled fish: fessikh. Thousands of families spent the day in public gardens, on the banks of the River Nile, and open-spaces under clear skies. The Egyptians typically hold grand celebrations every year to celebrate Sham el- Nessim en masse. But the security authorities said that this year's festivities were almost safe and crime-free with the exception of very few food poisoning incidents. A woman from the Beni Sueif Governorate in southern Egypt, called Kharoub, gave birth to a healthy baby boy, while she was in a public garden celebrating Sham el-Nessim with her family members, police said. She named her baby Nessim after the annual festival. The public gardens, during the day, were packed with families, who took part in the lavish parties that included homemade meals that were followed by colourful musical shows, singing and dancing. Despite this festive, joyous mood, the police were on a clear display of force in a bid to prevent an array of perceived dangers from spoiling the celebrations. The Egyptians rammed their message of unity in joint parties that were attended by Muslims and Christians, who sang joint songs and shared meals in the public gardens. No major incidents across the nation were reported on Monday, the police said. However, there were minor scuffles between young people and street vendors, who wanted to overcharge them for soft drinks, or the trivial items they were trying to sell in public gardens, the police said. The ordinary people, who were excited about the festival, were very co-operative with the police to keep law and order, they added. The police said that about 1.3 million tourists had visited Cairo gardens and parks this year, nearly double last year's level.
