September 11th marks the start of the new year for the Egyptian holdouts at the Coptic Orthodox Church. This is the Feast of Neyrouz (apparently derived from the Persian for "beginning of the year.") The Coptic calendar started on August 29, 284 A.D. in commemoration of the people who died for their faith under the Roman Emperor, Diocletian. The year is divided into 3 seasons (Endless Summer!) with this date being the 1st of Thout. It follows the Gregorian Calendar pretty closely for church that split from Roman Catholicism in 5th century––It even has leap years!
Incidentally, we're also celebrating Enkutatash, Ethiopian New Year, at the same time, so Melkam Addis Amet!
It should also noted that meat eaters will most likely stay away for Coptic Cuisine (lots of vegan), that Christian Coptics do A LOT of fasting and that we're using the term "feast" here to refer to a festive occasion rather than actual copious amounts of food.
Our festive Coptic menu:
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