Celebrating the Holidays with Integrant: Epiphany and Coptic Christmas

At Integrant, we embrace the privilege of being able to take part in and recognize the holiday season through the lenses of many cultural and religious backgrounds. A large part of our Integrant community is Coptic Christians who take part in two significant days of celebration, Epiphany and Coptic Christmas.


Our goal is to allow our employees the freedom to celebrate the holiday season as they wish and share important details about this time of year with our customers and community. As many of us in the west are just starting to transition away from our holiday festivities, there are many around the world whose celebrations are just beginning.


We often receive questions surrounding delivery and productivity from new employees and prospective customers who are unfamiliar with working with offshore teams. To match the unique traditions our employees have for each holiday, we have custom and unique approaches to ensure our customers and employees feel comfortable about productivity levels during this time. Thanks to our agile environment and tools like CodeVoyance, we can grant our employees room to pivot their schedules as needed, negating workflow and deadline interruptions.

What is Epiphany?

Epiphany is a day of feasting, celebrated by Coptic Christians. On January 19th Coptic Christians honor the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River and the appearance of the Holy Spirit. 

What is Coptic Christmas?

Coptic Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus following the Coptic Calendar. On January 7th, Coptic Christians will come together to feast, exchange gifts, and celebrate families being together.  

How to Celebrate

Epiphany

The main event of Epiphany is celebrated in the evening, much like Christmas Eve is in the west. The day will be spent gathering with family and the night is met with a Holy Mass and a large breaking of the fast afterward.  

Coptic Christmas 

The whole country of Egypt has this day off from work to observe holiday traditions with family, friends, and their communities. The night before, Coptic Christians will gather for a large Mass that usually lasts until midnight. Family gatherings and meals then follow shortly after the Mass ends. 

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Common Rituals

Epiphany

Kolkas(Taro), Sugar Cane, and Oranges  

These three foods are commonly enjoyed during the day as family gatherings take place. Kolkas are symbolically important due to their stiff and unattractive exterior that hides a white and pristine interior representing the sinful human before baptism. Sugar cane is a holiday favorite for children of the Coptic Christian community. 

Holy Feast and Eve and The Feast

The evening is spent at a Holy Mass where the community comes together to celebrate as one. Following the Mass, families return home to host large feasts for everyone to enjoy. 

Coptic Christmas 

Teaching the Gift of Giving

This holiday is used to instill the act of giving in children. You’re never too young to learn the importance of giving back to your community and many families take this time to help their children give back to someone in their community.  

Feasts

The feasts follow the midnight Holy Mass and flow into the next morning and afternoon. Families come together to break their fasts with foods like chicken, turkey, and an abundance of sweets. 

Christmas Trees

Christmas trees and decorations can be found in many homes this time of year. It’s also common practice to place manger sets beneath the trees. 

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Integrant and Egyptian Holidays

We know how important it is for our client’s projects to go uninterrupted and remain on schedule. To work around time zones and employee schedule shifts during the holiday season Integrant utilizes the flexibility of our Agile mindset to its full potential.


An important part of our work-life balance here at Integrant is learning to work with different cultural and religious standards. Integrant is and will remain a safe place for all our clients and employees. We are committed to keeping clients satisfied, deadlines met, and celebrating every holiday with all of our teams! 

Related Content

At Integrant, we encourage all types of celebrations. With this blog you will learn some of the ins and outs of Ramadan and how our Agile environment ensures we can celebrate diversly without sacrificing productivity.   

Celebrating The Holidays With Integrant: Coptic Easter and Sham El Nessim

At Integrant, we get to celebrate holidays like Coptic Easter and Sham El Nessim with our team members each year. Thanks to our Agile way of life, celebrating these holidays and navigating time off without impacting our project schedules is a breeze. 
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