Luxor Events and Festivals 2014 / 2015

(Luxor, Egypt)

The Egyptian city of Luxor is well known for its annual Festival of Moulid of Abu el-Haggag.

This notable event also attracts large numbers of both domestic and international visitors.

The rest of the year sees the city of Luxor alive with various religious festivals and other commemorative events, including Ramadam and a well-supported marathon each February.

National Public Holidays

• New Year's Day - January 1st
• Coptic Christmas - January
• Coptic Easter - March / April
• Sham an-Nessim - March / April
• Sinai Liberation Day - April 25th
• May Day - May 1st
• Liberation Day - June 18th
• Revolution Day - July 23rd
• Wafa'a el-Nil - August 15th
• Coptic New Year - September
• Armed Forces Day - October 6th
• Suez Victory Day - October 24th
• Victory Day- December 23rd

January

• Coptic Christmas - the Egyptian Christmas celebration is held in the first week of January and is a time for Christians to attend Mass and observe a period of fasting and abstinence for the 43 days leading up to this day
• Islamic New Year - this annual celebration, which is otherwise known as Al Hijra, is a day on which Islamic Egyptians pay homage to the journey made by Mohammed from Mecca to Medina

February

• Luxor Marathon - mid-February, held along the West Bank and starting at Deir al-Bahri, passing many historical sites
• Union Day - this nationwide public holiday held on February 22nd is an opportunity to forget about work, kick back and have some fun or spend time with family or friends

March

• No significant events and festivals in Luxor in the month of March

April

• Sinai Liberation Day - this important historical holiday is held on the 25th of the month and is observed in commemoration of the Israeli withdrawal from the Sinai Peninsula after the introduction of the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty of 1979

May

• Labour Day - held on May 1st, this nationwide public holiday is a chance for Egyptians to take a day of rest and pursue individual leisure interests

June

• Evacuation Day - held on June 18th, this is a public holiday observed across the nation and marks the evacuation of foreign troops in 1954

July

• Revolution Day - another public holiday, this time observed on July 23rd, commemorating the 1952 Revolution, which saw the overthrow of the Egyptian constitutional monarchy

August

• Flooding of the Nile - the beginning of the flood season in the Nile region is marked in the middle of August
• Festival of Moulid of Abu el-Haggag - usually held mid-month and two weeks prior to the start of Ramadan, this is a two-day street festival in which the Moulid of Abu el-Haggag celebrates the city's patron sheikh

September

• Ramadan - Egyptian Muslims mark the ninth month of the Islamic calendar with a period of fasting that sees no food consumed between dawn and dusk. It's commonly held that this form of abstinence promotes holiness, self-purification and piousness

October

• Pharaonic Wedding Festival - held in Karnak from the 15th to the 20th of the month, this annual festival sees 40 lucky couples invited to be joined in matrimony in traditional Egyptian style
• Armed Forces Day - on October 6th, Egyptian citizens across the country celebrate the time during the Yom Kippur War that the Egyptian forces crossed the Suez Canal
• Egyptian Naval Day - on this day, the citizens of Egypt commemorate the sinking of the Israeli destroyer Eilat in 1967
• Suez Victory Day - another war related celebration sees Egyptian citizens pay tribute to those who fought bravely during the Suez Crisis

November

• No significant events and festivals in Luxor in the month of November

December

• Victory Day - observed on the 23rd of the month, this day of remembrance is for those who fought against Israel in the 1973 Yom Kippur War