Happy Sham el Nassim!

We're going to celebrate Sham el Nassim today by lunching on grilled chicken at a favorite outdoor restaurant near the Giza pyramids. OK, if we can get a table. That's a good way to observe Egypt's wonderful rite of spring, which is roughly translated as "Smelling of the Breeze."

I'll leave you with Nancy Ajram, the Lebanese pop diva, singing Akhasmak, Aah (I'll taunt you) in a Cairo coffee shop, an homage to Egypt's preeminent role in Arab film and music and a reminder of Egypt's special place in the hearts of Arabs everywhere. (Thanks to Clintoncaudill.) By the way, the Akhasmak, Aah music video was denounced by conservatives when it first aired a few years ago, but Ajram sells millions of CDs all over the Middle East including in Egypt.

--By Scott MacLeod/Cairo