Al-Nakla, Tariff and Shark .. "Idiyat Zaman" full of pond in Egypt

Abdel Rahman Ahmed-Cairo

With the end of Eid al-Adha prayers in one of the popular squares in Giza Governorate, west of Cairo, the three grandchildren Hossam, Ahmed and Moath rush to their 70s grandfather, flying around him happily, and urgently demanded Eid.

Grandfather Hamdi Ali (75 years) pointed to his grandchildren to wait until the imam finishes the Eid sermon, but in front of their innocent insistence the man pulled out of his pocket a couple of new 20-pound banknotes, which he received specially to be a feast for his grandchildren. Out with joy.

One grandchild argues his grandfather, a former employee of the Egyptian Railways Authority, that this Eid is not enough, and the man is merciful on the days of al-Nakla, tariff and shark (the names of Egyptian cash categories, which were called the two and five millimeters and ten millimeters respectively, and the pound equals a thousand millimeters).

Barakat Zaman
Barakat Zaman, a common phrase among Egyptians, especially the elderly, is confirmed by Haj Hamdi, recalling memories of the past that Eidiya is old, despite the small categories, it was full of blessing and not like money today, and that the dime and the pennies he received from parents as a holiday was a fortune.

The man pulls out old coins from his wallet, saying he keeps them as a souvenir for these days, and lists the cash categories of Eidiyya that he and his peers had, starting with the penny in which he could buy the "nada" (a kind of candy made from honey and sesame), or a glass A large drink of licorice, passing through the tarry, tariff and shark to the category of sharks, which was called the text of the franc, which was enough to enter the cinema and watch three movies at once.

Haji Hamdi adds in his interview with Al Jazeera Net that getting shillings (five piasters) or Bereza (ten piasters) or real (twenty piasters) at one time was an additional holiday, but with the change in the purchasing value of the Egyptian currency, Eidia has continued to grow in its class and reduce its blessing, Even 100 pounds are not worth a few piasters.

History of Eidism
According to the historian Ibrahim Anani, the state and its endowments distributed money and clothes to the employers of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha under the name of fees or expansion. People call it Eid.

According to a study by Anani entitled "History of Eidism through the Ages," which he had previously published in articles in local newspapers, the caliph was then out on the parish from the top of one of the gates of the Caliphate Palace, scattered silver dirhams and gold dinars.

According to Anani, a member of the Union of Arab Historians, that Eidia took the form of the official in the Mamluk era and called "Jamia", and was a candy dish and gold dinars, and presented to the princes and senior men of the army, and its value varies depending on the person's position and rank.

Innovative forms
With the advent of ages, the tradition of Eidism continued in Egypt, but it has shifted from the formal form, to a family tradition in which gifts and money are offered from parents to children, and sometimes to adults, especially women, whether mother, sister, wife or fiancé.

Children are eagerly awaiting Eid, which represents the greatest source of happiness in Eid. They always prefer Eid to be new money, even if it is one of the fewer categories, so many people turn to banks before the Eid to get new money with a special sparkle for the young. .

With the difficult living conditions, many Egyptians were forced to make Eidiya a symbolic amount to delight the young and take into account the burdensome budget of the parents, while many innovative and cheerful forms of offering Eidia spread combining money, candy and flowers, and received special popularity among young people, especially those in the period of engagement. The beginning of marriage.

Eidia on communication sites
With the advent of holidays, social media sites are not without satirical and comic posts about Eid.

While some try to draw the attention of parents and relatives to the need to give them Eidia, although they are no longer children, others rarely evade requests for Eidia.