This week Egypt Celebrates both Mulids: Virgin Mary and Prophet Mohammed
Photos and videos by Amira Noshokaty
Streets are flooded with people and dangling colourful lights that crown racks made with traditional khayamia cloth. Sweets and candy are packed, especially nuts and hummossia, (chickpea) candy made of chickpeas and sugar.
In front of the ancient Church of Mostorod, built in the 4th century, the lights were sparkling, and candy was stacked on both sides of the narrow street. The same candy and the same vendors sell at both the Coptic and Islamic moulids.
“You can find the Moulid doll at our stall near Al-Hussein Mosque tomorrow morning,” one of them assured me. After allowing me to film his tiny store, the camera caught sight of boxes marked ‘Moulid El-Nabi Candy.’
That was my confirmation.
Moulids in Egypt
It's a real treat to experience the moulids in Egypt. The genuine joy, the charitable air, and the act of remembering those who have crossed over yet continue to stream blissful light make it quite a journey. Muslims and Christians attend, celebrate, and acknowledge such festivities, and it's very common to find people of different religions attending the same moulid.
I spent the week twirling between both moulids, carnivals of faith that make up an Egyptian spiritual tradition dating back to ancient Egypt and shaped and reshaped throughout the centuries. Today, these festivities are led by Sufi orders and the Coptic Church, honouring saints and religious walis and celebrating their “crossing over to the other world”—known as the death anniversary—except in the case of Prophet Mohammed, whose moulid celebrates his birthday.
Both sides of the Moulid
In principle, both moulids have a religious side and a secular side. The religious side is expressed through the “visit” to the mausoleum of the saint or wali and the saying of a prayer. Most of the time, there are chants of praise and zikr outside the mausoleum, led by prominent maddaheen (religious singers).
Then there is the secular side, with plenty of souvenirs, games and swings, especially boat-shaped ones named “zaazie”. There is also the nishan (a shooting-aim game) and the high striker.
Candy is part of the experience too. Nuts are the main ingredient, usually shaped into bars held together with sugar and sometimes honey. There is also coconut candy and, of course, the Moulid doll.
The Moulid doll's historic significance
The Moulid sugar doll was the brainchild of the Fatimids, who ruled Egypt from 969 AD and were the first to celebrate Prophet Mohammed's birth anniversary. They also created a Moulid knight on horseback for boys. The doll is a living manifestation of Egypt's intangible cultural heritage.
The sugar is poured into an ancient wooden mould. The big dark eyes and brows echo the ancient Egyptian tradition of using kohl (traditional eyeliner). The veil, the dress with long, wide sleeves, the narrow waistline and the generous, long A-shaped skirt, along with an abundance of frills, are typical of Fatimid costume.
As for the shimmering paper fans placed behind her head, these may be borrowed from the fans of the Khalifa's court, part of the era’s lavish lifestyle. In earlier times, the sugar doll was melted each season, and people would use the sugar to make homemade sweets. This is no longer widely practiced, nor is it recommended, due to the chemicals that may be involved in manufacturing the sugar used today.
May this week help us rejoice in our countless blessings.
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