With happiness and pleasure, Egyptians on Monday frequently went out houses for picnics to celebrate their public holiday Sham el-Nessim, a kind of "spring festival" in the country to mark the beginning of the spring season.

Along the banks of the Nile river, children are running and playing balls on the grass lands, while families are having picnics or playing cards. Smiles are on the faces of the old and the young.

Wael's family was among them. Siting on the grass at the river bank in Maadi district with his wife and two small children to have some kinds of traditional food, the 32-year-old motor parts dealer told Xinhua that "I took my family out for a picnic" to enjoy the bright sunshine and the breeze of spring.

Feeling hopeful at the beginning of the spring, Wael said that he has many plans and goals for his life and business though it needs a long time to achieve.

He even expressed interest to explore business opportunities with Chinese partners, saying that many Chinese household products have entered into the Egyptian market and welcomed by Egyptians for their cheap prices.

Seemed to be intoxicated by the happiness together with his family, smiled Wael told Xinhua "we are still expecting a new baby to come."

Sham el-Nessim, which means "smelling the breeze" in Arabic language, is an Egyptian public holiday that takes annually on Monday after the Coptic Easter on Sunday.

According to the State Information Service, the name of Sham el- Nessim, which can be traced back as far as 2700 B.C., is actually derived from the ancient Egyptian harvest season that was called " Shamo", which symbolized the triumph of good over evil according to some historians.

Tens of thousands of Egyptians also spent the holiday at Giza Zoo, while few picnickers were seen at the 4,500-year-old pyramids of Giza.

Security guards explained to Xinhua that only foreign tourists are allowed to visit the pyramids at this special holiday in order to protect the ancient cultural relic.

Source: Xinhua