With Easter upon us, I’m sharing my blog about the holiday in Upper [southern] Egypt:

Villages and hamlets in Egypt have traditionally been compactly built of mud brick, with crop leavings and fuel wood (such as cotton branches) being stored on the roofs, as here. In the absence of both space and rain, this is a good policy. In this picture, a woman is bringing her expectant donkey a serving of barsiim or other succulent greens from her fields.  Source – Impresions de Egipto

During the years that I spent a good deal of my time working and living in Upper [southern] Egypt while conducting  doctoral research, I was invited by friends in a nearby izba [small, extended family-based village, or hamlet] to join them at their church for Easter celebrations. Not having been to a Coptic Easter, I gladly accepted.

Pope Shenouda ii celebrating Coptic Easter in Cairo, 2004…