'Sham el-Naseem' Egyptian Festival

Sham el-Naseem, meaning “smelling the breeze” in English, is an annual Spring festival in Egypt. It will be held at the Chak Chak Wing Museum to celebrate 75 years of Egypt-Australia relations.

The festival is one of Egypt's most significant national festivals, which has its origins in the ancient Shemu festival which marked the onset of the agricultural season. This festival will bring the essence of Egypt to life for one day, showcasing time-honoured ways of celebration. During this time, Egyptians would present salted fish and various delicacies to different deities, likely aligning the event with the Spring equinox- a celestial occurrence historically tied to the alignment of the sun with the Pyramids. 

As Arab cultural influences grew, the festival's name transformed into Sham El-Naseem, adopting new elements that shape today's celebrations. The Chau Chak Wing Museum will bring this authentic Egyptian festival alive at the University of Sydney with activities such as picnicking on the lawns, authentic Egyptian cuisine, cooking workshops, live musical performances, shadow puppet shows, bilingual Arabic-English floor talks, a painting exhibition for Mrs Sally Abouzeid, wife of the Consul General of the Arab Republic of Egypt in Sydney, and a range of other family-friendly activities.

Bring your own picnic rug.

Presented in collaboration with the Egyptian-Australian community. This event is supported by Worldwide Travel & Tours and Gateway Law and Migration Australia.