Eid al-Fiseh

Eid al-Fiseh is Easter, the feast of Jesus’s resurrection, celebrated by Arab Christians in Egypt, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and diaspora communities after Holy Week. Its date changes each year between late March and late April, and Arab churches do not always keep it on the same Sunday: some follow the Gregorian calendar, while many Orthodox churches use the older calculation tied to the Julian calendar. The central public moment is the late-night or midnight liturgy on Holy Saturday. Worshippers arrive for long prayers, candles are lit, and the church moves from mourning to joy as bells ring and the lights come up. A classic Easter exchange is “Christ is risen” and “Truly he is risen.”

Easter Sunday is both a church day and a family day. After weeks of Lenten fasting, many families gather for a festive meal with dishes that were avoided during the fast, especially meat, eggs, and rich sweets. In many Levantine homes, ma'amoul filled with dates or walnuts is prepared for guests, and colored eggs are placed on the table; in some families, red eggs are traditional and children tap them against one another in a cracking game. People visit parents and grandparents, bring sweets, and take photographs outside church in their best clothes. In Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Amman, Beirut, and Cairo, the rhythm of the day is liturgy first, then visiting, coffee, sweets, and a long meal at home.

The pack has 36 words spread across these domains.