Life in Egypt is very different from life in Russia in terms of household, family and business traditions. A Russian woman who moved to Hurghada for the winter told in her Zen channel about 10 facts that are common to Egyptians and surprising to her.
The first surprising fact for the Russian woman was that in Egypt the official days off are Friday and Saturday. Locals visit mosques, state institutions are closed. And the working week starts on Sunday, not the usual Monday.
Secondly, the tourist was surprised by the average salary of $250 per month. Farmers working on plantations can only get $50 a month at all. Because of this, many people are forced to live in slums, not change clothes for years and eat poorly.
The third surprising fact is the many houses without roofs outside the tourist areas of Egypt. Thus, locals evade property taxes. No roof – no house, and you do not need to pay duties for it.
From here follows the fourth feature of life in Egypt. Families often live together. When a son marries, a floor is added for him in the parental house instead of buying a separate apartment. In the absence of a roof, such superstructures are easier to make. If there are several sons in the family, several floors are built. Girls from their family always move to their husband's family.
Fifth, for a Russian woman, officially allowed polygamy is unusual and unacceptable. An Egyptian can have up to 4 second halves. In each case, a marriage contract is entered into, requiring the man to support his wife and children. Accordingly, the option is available only to financially wealthy people.
The sixth fact about life in Egypt is that women are allowed to work here only with the permission of their husbands. And far from all representatives of the stronger sex give consent.
The seventh thing that surprised the Russian woman is religion in Egypt. It is traditionally thought to be a Muslim country, but in fact it has an estimated 30% Christian population, according to 2020 figures. At the same time, Muslims and Christians coexist harmoniously together.
The eighth fact about life in Egypt is related to clothing. In the country, many choose traditional outfits over modern ones. For men, these are white or gray cotton “robes”. But women's clothing is mostly black, which is very uncomfortable at temperatures above 40 degrees.
Ninth, the Russian woman was surprised by the traditions associated with divorce. In general, it is considered undesirable, but it is allowed. With one nuance: if a man wants to restore a family, he can do this even without the special consent of the former during the “iddah” period, which is equal to three menstrual cycles of a woman. The final divorce will be only after three divorces, followed by reunification or after the expiration of the “iddah”.
The last, tenth fact about life in Egypt is connected with the previous one, as well as the position of a woman in marriage in general. Divorce in the country is possible only with the filing of the husband, the wife’s application will not be accepted if she does not officially prove that the spouse does not provide for her financially, suffers from impotence or mental problems, or damages her health. In practice, collecting such evidence is almost impossible. Therefore, many women prefer to get rid of hated husbands by rigging accidents.
For those who care about a healthy lifestyle, we recommend reading: “Cranberries have been found to cure urinary tract infections.”