Sham En-Nessim is one of the few festivities that all Egyptians celebrate. The feast is targeted by Muslims as well as Christian fundamentalists who claim that the celebration is merely a made-up festivity, a bed’a [unorthodox teaching] that is hated.
The symbols of the celebration include water, fire, eggs, fish, lettuce and eye kohl. These symbols are inspired by traditions that are linked to purity and fertility.