More Abu Haggag Moulid 2011

Just another short video to show the participants of the procession who were running on Egyptian time! Late!

Abu Haggag Moulid....... running late!

Sheikh Abu Haggag Moulid 2011

Yesterday was the final day of the Moulid of Sheikh Abu Haggag, here in Luxor.
This is a 3 day celebration which culminates in a parade through the town.
I was lucky to spend time sitting happily on the balcony of Snacktime, overlooking the Abu Haggag Square, with Luxor Temple in the background.

A friend and I arrived around 11.30am, to watch the build up to the parade, which was scheduled to leave the Abu Haggag Mosque after the Friday Prayers                              


The atmosphere was building by the time we got there, with lots of stalls selling toys, sweets and shiny hats all around the square. Families were out in their best clothes and seemed determined to have a good time!

The floats taking part in the parade were still arriving when the call to prayer  was heard, camels and horses were gathering, getting ready to play their part.

We happily watched the build up and waited until the end of Friday prayers. The descendants of Sheikh Abu Haggag left the mosque and the  parade itself had formed a straggly melee of people, horses, camels, floats, trucks, donkeys and anything else that moved. It left in the direction of Youseff Hassan Street, where the Emilio Hotel is, to make its way around the town. 

All we needed to do now was to wait for its return, knowing that they would pass directly in front of us.

Roughly an hour and a half later, and a few bottles of water, we heard its arrival before we saw anything. The parade is led by the horses and camels, and the Descendants walk and chant at the head of the parade. They are followed by the camels carrying their loads.

Then the rest of the parade chaotically made its way past! Stick fighters, dancing, music (extremely loud) horses, more camels, donkey and carts, caleches carrying egyptian families.  My own felucca men were represented with a colourful display of 2 feluccas and a towboat!

All in all, we had a great day out!!

Next year I hope you can join us here in sunny Luxor, Egypt!

And finally, here is a small video of the arrival of the procession as viewed from the First floor balcony of Snacktime Restaurant.

Sheikh Abu Haggag Moulid, the arrival of the procession

Abu Haggag Moulid

Tonight I was out and about in Luxor. I met a friend who arrived in Luxor yesterday at the Nile Palace and we were joined by a couple more friends.
After a coffee and a natter, we headed out to watch the stickfighting taking place not far from the Emilio Hotel, heading towards the back of town.
The streets were manic, with cars, buses, motorbikes and people dressed up in their best clothes milling around everywhere. The streets were lined with stalls selling all the lovely sweet goodies available at festival times, music and fairy lights everywhere!
We didn't actually go anywhere near the main Abu Haggag square, but the friends who joined us had passed there on the way to the Nile Palace and said it was heaving with families enjoying the feast night!
Eventually we arrived at our destination and headed off to watch the stickfighting, pushing our way to the front of the crowd so that we had a good view! Amazing stuff! The stick fighters come from all over the Luxor Governorate for this event!
Once we had enough of the crowds, we headed to a nearby coffee shop for a cuppa, and then went back to our friends apartment where we enjoyed the rest of the evening chatting on the roof terrace.
Finally we walked back down towards the Emilio Hotel to find a taxi to take us back home. I was dropped off on the Corniche to take a motor boat back to my side of the river and my friend was taken back to the Nile Palace.
Tomorrow is the Feast Day of Abu Haggag and hopefully my friend will get to see the parade! Arrangements have been made........ very flexible ones as we never know exactly what time the parade will start. But we will be there!!

In the meantime, another friend of mine has blogged about the Feast, its origins and what happens. So I will not repeat what she says, I will just link you to her blog

Abu Haggag Moulid

Hopefully tomorrow I will get photos of the parade!

And yet another Museum blog from Paul Barford, courtesy of Nicole Hansen questioning the actual events of the January 28th 2011 looting incident.

January 28th looting in Egyptian museum

Sharing blogs

I love sharing other peoples blogs.... and today it seems the conspiracy theories that abound here in Egypt, are finally becoming clear.

This is one of Paul Barfords blog posts about the "new" inventory being planned for the Egyptian Museum in Cairo

Enjoy

Egyptian museum inventory to begin

Zahi Hawass temporarily resigns from National Geographic

The Society News has commented on a New York Times story about the temporary resignation of Zahi Hawass from his position as "explorer-in-residence" for National Geographic at an annual salary of up to $200,000! How much? For what?
This is the link to the Society News webpage

http://societymatters.org/  If the link does not work, click on the homepage buttone

And the link to the New York Times story is

New York Times - Zahi Hawass

And there is more! Tourism Festival in Luxor! Apparently!

Apparently there is a Tourism Festival in Luxor. It  started yesterday and will last for 4 days. Hmmmm did notice a couple of those little hot air balloons at the Mummification Museum last night, and heard the strains of Aida, followed by Amr Diab and then the Balady, Balady, Balady song..... Wondered what it was all about.

Now I am curious as to how you would stage a Tourism Festival, with empty hotels, hardly any tourists, no promotion, not even a sign on a road. Who will see it? Well apart from the "dignitaries" that is......

http://english.youm7.com/News.asp?NewsID=341693

Don't ya just lurve this country!!