"Amazigh New Year" by Mina Moudden
Amazigh New Year, called Yennayer, is a Berber agricultural celebration. It is well known that this celebration is the first day of the Berber, or Amazigh, agricultural year. Amazigh people, or Imazighen,, celebrate it in January, but the date is decided based on the Julian calendar not the Gregorian calendar.
The Imazighen sometimes refer to the holiday as Id Usggas or Id Yinayer which means “night of the year.” Imazighen celebrate Yennayer in Morocco, as well as in other Arab counties like Libya, Tunisia, and parts of Egypt. In Algeria, Yennayer is an official government holiday.
As an agricultural holiday, Yennayer is a day in which Imazighen celebrate life and make wishes for their future and longevity. Imazighen meet and make different types of food in this celebration. The main dish is called Taggoula. It is a meal of corn kernels prepared with Argan oil and honey. A pit of a date must be hidden in Taggoula and whoever find it is believed to be lucky throughout the year. The finder of the pit of a date may also receive gifts from the family and start the year with lovely gifts and wishes. Orkimen is another dish that is thick soup made with dry fava beans and wheat. Finally, couscous is another dish that Imazighen prepare for the celebration.
In most Amazigh holidays, each celebration has its own activities. In this celebration, Imazighen enjoy different types of music. The most well-known are Ahawash or Ahaydous – traditional ballads or story songs sung and chanted by men and women usually standing in a line. They also dance and play instruments to accompany their songs.
Talking in general about this celebration brings the idea of making the day of celebration an official holiday in Morocco. It is, unfortunately, not official yet that Moroccan Imazighen have a holiday to celebrate as the one we have in the Gregorian New Year, but organizations and associations do their best to celebrate the holiday and continue to push to make it official in Morocco.
Mina Moudden is an Arabic teacher at Amideast Education Abroad in Morocco.
