"The Sefrou Cherry Festival" by Yassine Hachimi
It was a Friday afternoon, and the Town of Ain Leuh, in the Middle Atlas, was hosting its biggest even of the year: the annual Cherry Festival.
You cannot truly savor what this city has to offer without enjoying the picturesque scene of the reddish cherry trees that surround the outskirts of the town, or even its suburbs.
There is no doubt that Sefrou and Ain Leuh are famous for their annual cherry festivals (Mousem HebLemluk , in Moroccan Darija), but what most people are unaware of is that 60% of the cherries distributed in Morocco come from Ain Leuh. A fact most individuals find astounding, nonetheless it’s still true.
The cherry trees represent a key part of people’s lives in this town, they are deemed to be extremely sacred in some areas, especially in Ain Leuh. Children oughtn’t play carelessly around the trees nor should adults commit unseemly acts around them. The people of the town spend countless hours of the week tending to the trees as a sign of care.
According to the ministry of agriculture and fisheries in Morocco, statistics clarify that 80% of the annual income of the locals relies on the agricultural production and activities of cherries. In other words, the locals make ends meet by cultivating and selling cherries every year.
This shows the paramount importance of the festival that is held every year.
As a local resident of Ain Leuh, I attend the festival every year. I cannot say that it ceases to amaze me. I can see the spark in the foreigners’ eyes when they see the beauty of this festival. It is extremely entertaining and rich with Amazigh culture. I saw every different shade of the color red in that festival. All kinds of beautiful cherries of different sizes are displayed in front of the visitors. Oh and the aroma! A sweet heaven-like odor penetrates the air due to the fresh cherries.
In the middle of these various shades of red, I remember that I saw a man who so enchanted by the music. He looked like a foreigner, and I could tell that he was in awe of the sounds coming out of the small ‘guitar’, as he described it. It is called in Moroccan Darija ‘El Gambri’.
He inquired about the type of music and I explained that what he was hearing is Amazigh music. Namely: Lwetra, Ahidous, and Tamawayt. Being that I’m a local, I think I forget how baffled people get when they see traditional clothes worn by the musicians; such as: Jellaba, Selham, and Keftan (which is only worn by women).
In terms of costumes, I am certainly amazed by the colorful and traditional clothes people wear to celebrate this joyful time of the festival, despite the fact that I’ve seen it every year since I was fifteen. It is a beautiful display of culture interacting with nature.
However, the festival isn’t always a shiny place, literally. I can distinctly remember my worst experience at the festival in 2016. The whole festival was shut down, mud was everywhere, and people were panicking. All of this occurred due to a change in the weather.
It rained that day, and the festival was cancelled. This is the case because the festival is usually held in an open field. The wholesalers hid their cherries, people scattered, beautiful women in Kaftans cursed the devil, and the joy was postponed to the next year. This, surely, affects the wholesalers who make a living at this festival. I could see the frustration in the eyes of some, and even anger in the eyes of others.
I remember, quite clearly, hearing a conversation between two merchants from Ain Leuh. The gist of it, basically, was that the Town (Ain Leuh) should adopt a particular date just like its counterpart Sefrou for the festival.
It seemed, at that time, to be the worst case scenario the festival could face, and due to this issue the associations and cooperatives that are in charge of this event have not been able to come up with a specific date of the festival. But people who love to attend this event are informed of its date through social media, including the Facebook pages of Ain Leuh, newspapers, etc. On the other hand, Sefrou’s cherry festival has a precise date; which takes place from June 10th to June 13th.
One of the truly fascinating activities that take place in this festival is the event where women from different cities of Morocco compete for the title ”Miss Cherry”. This isn’t an easy title to acquire, especially given the diversity of women across Morocco. They wear traditional Moroccan gowns, keftans, and so on.
A lot of people come to my hometown because of this event, especially tourists. I see various ethnicities every year: American, German, Italian, and African…. people from all over the world want to enjoy the mesmerizing nature, interesting culture, and welcoming atmosphere.
I have to admit that the cherry season, that takes place from the beginning of May until the end of July, doesn’t only serve to entertain the tourists. It is actually a way for the locals to escape the boring routine of daily life in a small town. It is indeed a fruitful season, and the pun is intended.
The people of Ain Leuh, including my family and friends, absolutely love the festival. It is their way to earn money, enjoy their time, and introduce our culture to foreigners who are interested.
Lastly, Morocco is indeed a melting pot of cultures and to discover this rich aspect of it; all you need to do is to attend the cherry festival in Ain Leuh or Sefrou.
I highly recommend it; it is a sight to behold.
Yassine Hachimi is an Arabic instructor at Amideast Education Abroad in Rabat, Morocco.
