Sham Ennessim (, Sham Al Nassim or Sham an-Nassim; Egyptian Arabic: Sham Ennesim, ; , Shom Ennisim) is an Egyptian national festival marking the beginning of spring, as it originates from the ancient Egyptian Shemu festival. Sham Ennessim always falls on Easter Monday, which is the day after Easter, in accordance with the Coptic Orthodox Church. The festival has been nationally celebrated by all the Egyptians since ancient times, as it is considered a national festival in Egypt. Its history goes back to ancient Egyptian times, as it was related to the agricultural background of the ancient Egyptians, originating from Shemu. Sham Ennessim is an official holiday in modern Egypt. The main features of the festival are: People spend all day out picnicking in any space of green, public gardens, on the Nile, or at the zoo. Traditional food eaten on this day consists mainly of fesikh (a fermented, salted and dried grey mullet), lettuce, scallions or green onions, and lupin beans. Coloring boiled eggs, then eating and gifting them. History Ancient Egypt Sham Ennessim was first celebrated by Egyptians during the Pharaonic era (ca. 2700 BC) and they kept celebrating it during the Ptolemaic times, the Roman times, medieval times, and up to the present day. According to annals written by Plutarch during the 1st century AD, the ancient Egyptians used to offer salted fish, lettuce, and onions to their deities during the spring festival known as Shemu. Shemu (Ancient Egyptian: šmw) provides the etymology of the Coptic name "ϣⲱⲙ (ⲛ̀ⲛⲓⲥⲓⲙ) Shom (Ennisim)", and through the phono-semantic reanalysis of "En-ni-sim" as the Egyptian Arabic form of the assimilated definite article "En-" and "nesim", "Shom Ennisim" became "Sham Ennesim". Preservance of the festival after Christianization of Egypt After the Christianization of Egypt, the festival became associated with the other Christian spring festival, Easter. Over time, Shemu morphed into its current form and its current date. The date of Easter, and therefore of Easter Monday, is determined according to the Eastern Christian manner of calculation as used by the Coptic Orthodox Church, the largest Christian denomination in the country. Arab Conquest of Egypt As Egypt became Arabized, the term Shemu/Shom Ennisim found a rough phono-semantic match in Sham Ennesim, or "Smelling/Taking In the Zephyrs," which fairly accurately represents the way in which the festival is celebrated. The Islamic calendar being lunar and thus unfixed relative to the solar year, the date