Live camels will be on hand for photo opportunities, exotic foods will be ready for sampling and a historic church will open its doors for tours during the Taste of Egypt Festival, Sept. 12-13 at St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church, 15 W 455 79th St. in Burr Ridge.
Admission and parking are free but there are charges for activities and food. Camel rides are $12. Kids’ Zone activities start at $3. Henna tattoos start at $5. Food items range in price from $3-$14.
The festival is open from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sept. 12 and noon-5 p.m. Sept. 13.
Reem Messeih, who runs the Welcome Booth and sells raffle tickets at the event, said the camel rides are always a “big crowd pleaser,” and new food booths include one featuring koshary, a traditional lentil dish.
”Also, we have our church tours that people really love because our church is such a main attraction on 79th Street,” Messeih said. “It’s huge and it’s beautiful. We have people that come by all the time and say, ‘I always drive by the church and I wonder what it looks on the inside.’”
Messeih said the festival is also a great way for people to learn about Egyptian culture.
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“People have always been fascinated by ancient Egypt, with the pyramids and the civilization, the culture, the history,” he said. “People have to know that we still exist. The Coptic church is one of the oldest churches in the world. The traditions and the faiths that we hold are among the oldest in the world. The fact that we’re able to preserve it within the church is a beautiful thing.”
Joe Moawad, a member of the church’s leadership team, helps organize and give tours of the historic church. But he’s also a fan of the festival in general.
“There are a lot of highlights,” Moawad said. “People love the food. They love seeing the camel. It brings a slice of Egypt into Burr Ridge. And we have a great pyramid background. They can take a picture just as though they flew to Cairo.”
The church tours are very popular, Moawad reported. “A lot of people in our community have driven by the church but don’t really have an understanding of what our church looks like, what we believe in. We’re one of the most ancient Christian denominations.”
Moawad believes it’s important for people to learn about the Egyptian culture because “a lot of Middle Eastern folks are misunderstood. We have a lot of interesting food, music, traditions. We have the largest Christian faith anywhere in the Middle East.”
Church member Mireille Saeed assists with the festival in the kitchen, but also “anywhere they need help.”
Saeed said that one of her highlights of the festival is seeing people return year after year.
“I invited my high school German teacher one year when I was in high school, and that was a long time ago,” Saeed said. “She comes every year and it’s so good to see her.”
Visitors always praise the food, which Saeed said church members make from “recipes from their parents that have been passed on for years.”
Saeed believes that people should learn about the Egyptian culture because “our roots go back to ancient Egypt.”
She also noted that whenever she brings visiting friends to church with her, they are very confused because she calls everyone by the name which means aunt in Egyptian.
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They wonder if Saeed is related to them. She’s not but, “We always hug everyone. We kiss everyone on the cheek,” Saeed explained. “It’s a very welcoming community.”
More information is at tasteofegyptfestival.com.
Myrna Petlicki is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.