Maghreb Celebrates Yennayer 2964 – Magharebia

Amazigh youth in Rabat, Morocco on January 12th called for the government to make the Amazigh calendar official. Photo: Hassan Benmehdi

Magharebia, by Hayam El Hadi in Algiers, Yasmin Najjar in Tunis and Hassan Benmehdi in Casablanca (January 13, 2014) — Festivities began across the Maghreb to mark Yennayer on Sunday January 12th. Also known as “Amenzu n’Yennayer” or “Tabburt u Seggas” (door of the year), the Amazigh New Year remains one of North Africa’s most popular festivals.

Algerians mark the New Year

Algerian Amazighs on Yennayer celebrate their attachment to their and ancestral traditions. Across the country, preparations began several days earlier to organize the sumptuous festivities marking the start of 2964.

On New Year’s Eve, a gargantuan family meal is prepared so that the whole year will be placed under the sign of abundance. In Constantine, roosters are traditionally sacrificed on this occasion. They are used in a favourite local dish, trida.

“Yennayer with its culinary traditions, ritual practices and particular colours, continues to mark time as a perennial event and always an integral part of all constituent traditions of the cultural identity of Algeria, but also all Maghreb countries,” said Mohamed Ziane, a professor at Mentouri University of Constantine.

In Ouargla, festivities celebrating the new Amazigh year began a week in advance. Exhibitions were organised on the traditions of Amazigh culture, conveyed through traditional bridal dresses such as Melhfa and traditional silver jewellery.

“This festival is a great opportunity to reaffirm the sanctity of national unity,” said Houaria Mehmel, a mother of two children. “The entire region is experiencing difficult times. Attempts to sow discord are dangerous. Such a feast recalls how, we are one people with the same traditions regardless of the place where we live.”

The New Year celebration shows “the richness of Moroccan identity with its many tributaries Arab-Islamic, Amazigh, Hassani and other forms of expression, including Jewish rituals,” said Ahmed Sabir, dean of the Faculty of humanities of Agadir. Photo: Reuters

Moroccans celebrate ‘Idh Yennayer’

In Morocco, particularly in the region of Souss, festivities for “Idh Yennayer” are steeped in history. The New Year recalls the day of the enthronement of the Amazigh king Chachnaq in ancient Egypt.

The celebration also shows Amazigh culture as an essential component of the Moroccan identity, said Ahmed Sabir, dean of the Faculty of humanities of Agadir.

It shows “the richness of Moroccan identity with its many tributaries Arab-Islamic, Amazigh, Hassani and other forms of expression, including Jewish rituals,” he said.

People speak fondly of local traditions.

Mustapha Addaz, waiter in a Casablanca cafe, told Magharebia: ”In our region, a village situated between Agadir and Essaouira, we prepare tagoulla, a mash made from barley or corn.”

Tunisians partake in celebrations

The Tunisian capital hosted a special Yennayer event. “Lam Shaml” and the TOUIZA associations organised Amazigh Cultural days in Tunis to mark the Amazigh New Year.

“The resilience of the Amazigh in establishing their identity and culture through such celebrations is very important,” Tunisian student Moez Zouari told Magharebia.  ”We talk, dress, and eat in an Amazigh way,” he added.

History professor Samir Khribich told Magharebia, “Many development projects in Tunisia have failed because they ignored the national Amazigh heritage.”

“Celebrating the new Amazigh year remains a date for rooting this heritage,” he said.

“We must re-imagine a new concept of development and invention of new strategies capable of taking into account the civilizational and historical character of the Tunisian people both culturally and socially,” he noted.

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