The
Egyptian Family
The
Egyptian culture highly valued family life, and treasured children and regarded
them as a great blessing. I would embrace this family from Egypt, and invite
them to join our families in different events, and activities. Help them with
housing, and schools for their children as they become a little westernize.
Show them around town as a sponsor, and give support with a map of their new
area, and a telephone list of contacts if they need help. I will also make
myself helpful by offering any information about activities for the family, and
information that could make their stay easy in my country. I will also visit my
locate library and read a few books about Egyptian cultures today.
I will also visit the web site to gain information about the culture of
Egyptian families ;
http://www.touregypt.net/epeople.htm
After gathering all of this information it can benefit both me, and the
family because we will be well informed about the area , as well as things to
do in the country.
Egyptian
Egyptian populous divided into four cultural groups consisting of Copts,
Bedouins, Nubians and Egyptian peasants, or fallahin. Upon closer examination,
fallahins are presented basically as farmers living in villages. Perhaps this
is a correct and traditional definition of the word fallahin, but it was
immediately apparent that this division of cultural groups was out of touch
with reality, and showed no feeling for
Egypt's true flavor.
Egypt is actually a wonderful and delightful mixture of
traditions, with a socioeconomic structure which allows, more and more, a
gradient of classes. But one must look, and feel with the heart in order to
touch this essence of
Egypt.
A considerable amount, if not majority, of
Egypt's population now live
in larger cities, mostly
Cairo and
Alexandria.
In fact, these two cities dominate the vision of most foreigners. They are
vitally important to
Egypt's culture, but one should not neglect the many
other moderately sized cities. And within these cities there is a virtual
kaleidoscope of social stratas. There are doubtless the poor, the recent
fallahins come to the city, and the lower echelons of what we will call the
commercial or merchant class. They are evident, and plentiful. But these
businessmen merge into the middle class, and then upper middle class. More than
a few become wealthy.
Egyptians dote on their children, who as they grow up quickly, take on adult
duties. The younger ones start by herding sheep and goats. When the boys reach
nine or 10, they begin learning how to farm the land that will eventually be
theirs. Young girls feed chickens, milk goats and water buffalo (gamoosa), make
the dung patties used for fuel, and fetch water. At an early age, they learn to
carry loads on their heads; starting with lightweight items such as bread
loaves, they graduate to laundry, and then to large clay water jars. Their work
gives them a grace of carriage that remains with them throughout their lives.
In Egyptian extended families, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins all
feel clan obligations, and these ties unite them in good times and bad. If an
individual's crops fail, all relatives contribute from their own supplies. If
an animal is fatally injured, the fallahin will slaughter it and each family
within the clan will buy a portion, thus sharing the meat and contributing to
the cost of replacing the animal. The clan elders arbitrate disagreements, even
those between husbands and wives, and give opinions that range from farming
techniques to religious obligations.
References
http://www.touregypt.net/epeople.htm
