Dear friends,

Taking place at the beginning of the school year, more precisely the tenth of Muharram, the feast of Ashura is eagerly awaited by all the Muslims. Here, in Morocco, this “Aid”, as we call it, brings, every year, happiness in our homes. In fact, the day of Ashura originate in the Muslim history. Indeed, this feast has been established by our prophet, Muhammad (s), following the implementation of the fast of Yom Kippur: Muslims had to fast two days contrary to the Jewish who had to fast only a single day. Since this era, the Ashura took different meanings according to the countries and the ethnic groups. In this article, we are going to see how is celebrated the feast of Ashura in Morocco.

In spite of the Day of Ashura is not officially a public holiday, the great majority of adults devote their time to visit their families and friends: indeed we gather all together, tasting traditional mouth-watering meals in a cozy atmosphere, to have fun trough several jokes and sets. However, it is especially the children who are delighted the most at the thought in this entertaining feast. Well-dressed, they go out in the streets and devote themselves to amusing games which consist most of the time in throwing water tanks or eggs on each other and lighting firecrackers. Moreover, these same children are showered with a lot of gifts by their closest relatives. Besides, we should point out that this festive spirit of Ashura is curiously similar to the Christmas convivial spirit.

All in all, nowadays, the feast of Ashura loses gradually its religious symbolism inasmuch as the two fast days don’t seem compulsory anymore but rather as honorable acts which purify the person of all its sins. Thus, besides religious resemblances with the Jewish feast of Yom Kippur, we saw that the Ashura are alike enormously with the Christian celebration of Christmas; because in fact we are the same. For centuries in Morocco, this day has been seen as a cheerful feast of childhood and family traditions. It is really pity that less and less persons take part in this event!

To finish, we hope that this article allowed you to understand a little bit more the feast of Ashura and tempted you to visit our dear country because it is really worth it. See you soon!

By HIFDI Othmane, OUDGHIRI Hamid and CHARAF Mehdi.

Moroccan Weddings!

" Moroccan weddings are very friendly parties lasting up to seven days and usually celebrated in summer. One of these days is called "Hannah, " the bride is with her family and people are dancing all the afternoon.The bride doesn't move because his hands and feet are covered with patterns and designs with " Hannah" , wich is a vegetable used in Morocco during the feasts to decorate the women's hands.
The bride wears a traditional dress with gold or diamond jewels and she's sitting next to his husband. Sometimes the husband isn't there when there is just women is the party.

 

The wedding evening, the bride most beautiful than ever, thanks to the hours spent to make up by a professional, wearing a wonderful morrocan dress, arrives in the wedding house when everybody is already there, sitted in the "amariya" (a kind of wonderful chair) and raised up by four men wearing special white clothes with the typical morrocan red cope, while a special song and all the guests applaud.
Then, she sits with her husband in their place, sign some papers and are finally officially married, they symbolise this by drinking some milk and eating a date.
A few moments later, she wears another morrocan dress and say hi to the guests.
After the prestigious dinner, about one or two hours later, she puts "the pharaon" and, with her husband who put off his suit for wear a "djellaba", both of them in their own "mida", four men raise them up while a special song, like in the "amariya" earlier. "The pharaon" is a wonderful kind of dress with something very heavy put on the bride's head so she has to take it off quickly. Finally, she wears the bride's white dress, cut the wedding cake with her husband and go away with him so they can spend their wedding night.

 

And finally there is "Sbohi", the last but the not the least day.
After the weeding the bride spends the night at his new husband's for the first time and the next day (if they didn't already travel for their honeymoon) the bride wake up for his first breakfast with her new family, hers join her in the morning with traditionnal cake for the festivities.
It is an intimate day where only the two families are invited so they can know each others and build links to form one big family united. Then the husband's family make a big lunch for the two families so they spend this happy day together dancing and enjoying themselves once more. "

 

By Maria and friends...

Laylat Al Qadr...

Dear friends,
We talked about our selves, we told you our story. Now let's talk about religious events and precisely "laylat al qadr" . When we were kids our parents told us that during this holy night a window opens in the sky and through this window heaven appears... So we used to stay up late at night curiously, waiting the opening of the window which really didn't open :d. The religion takes a very big part of our country and society's traditions. This holy night is very important to us as teenagers because we commit a lot of sins as you may know and this night is the occasion to ask God for forgiveness..:)
Laylat al Qadr takes place in Ramadan, where muslims fast from sunrise to sunset for a period of one month.
This is the most sacred day of Ramadan, in the verses of Quran, it is said to be equivalent in spirituality to one thousand months of prayer or more.
Laylat al Qadr is known to be an even day, starting from the last ten days of ramadan. Ie : 21th 23th 27th or 29th of the holy month.
We as muslims do not know, nor have we assurance when it really occurs.
During the day where it takes place, God sends his angels, along with angel Gabriel to Earth to decide on the destiny of each of us. The decisions that they will bring to us , bad or good might they be, can be reversed by us as long as we ask God during the holy night imploring him to change or be more clement towards us his decisions. The Quran also says that this is the night where the angel Gabriel revealed to Mohamed the first part of the Quran and told him that he will become the last of Gods prophets, ours.
We believe that Ramadan or the said sacred night (Laylat al Qadr) has a very special meaning that we as muslims should not ignore: its not the act of fasting, it is a month of forgiveness, as each of us should learn how to forgive, regardless of religions, colors, or believes...

Hoping that you liked this little story, your Moroccan friends, Alia and Meryem, Mehdi and Mohamed

Hanukkah in Morocco.

by  Fahd Abali,  Chouaib Benkirane, Karim Kharchafi and Julien Sebag.

There are two religions practiced in Morocco. Indeed, the most represented religion is Islam, but there are also Moroccan Jews who practice their rituals and traditions normally. We are going to introduce you to one of the most important Jewish holidays: Hanukkah !

Hanukkah is the Jewish holiday of a rabbinical institution, commemorating the consecration of the altar of offerings in the Second Temple of Jerusalem, on his return to Jewish worship, three years after its ban by the Seleucid Antiochus IV.

According to rabbinical tradition, during the consecration is the miracle of the cruse of oil, allowing the priests of the temple to burn for eight days, a quantity of oil sufficient for only one day.

It is celebrated from 25 Kislev (which corresponds, according to November or December in the Gregorian calendar) and lasts eight days, until 2 or 3 Tevet (depending on the length of Kislev, the month of 29 or 30 days).

The lighting of lights on the evening of the eight-day festival is its only characteristic rite. It commemorates the miracle of the cruse of oil and contributes to its publication.

It takes place in a special candleholder called Leuchter Hanikke or Hanikke Menorahanoukkia in Yiddish and Hebrew. The shape of this chandelier often evokes that of the Temple menorah, but it has eight branches in addition to a particular branch, called the Shamash or Shammai ("servant"). It is with the shamash you turn the other lights of the Hanukkah candelabrum.

Jewish families don’t celebrate Christmas, but they also have a feast to celebrate in December, during Hanukkah, the festival of lights, each light a candle in a chandelier with eight branches, each night of the week. Each candle in a chandelier  means something:

First Candle: The Hanoukia

Second Candle: The Light

Third Candle: The miracle

Fourth Candle: Sabbath

Fifth Candle: Heroism

Sixth Candle: The Hebrew language

Seventh Candle: The Jewish solidarity

Eighth Candle: Peace

This picture was taken by Julien at his home on the last day of Hanukkah :

           

Ramadan in Morocco: a Holy Month

I.      What is Ramadan?

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim calendar. It is one of the five pillars of Islam. During this month, Muslims who have reached puberty adults can’t eat, drink or have sexual relations from sunrise to sunset. The person sick, a women pregnant or menstruating, or any person health is not good should not fast. This holy month makes Muslims learn patience, humility and spirituality.
The end of this month is with the Aid al-Fitr, the feast of breaking the fast. This is the first day of the month in the Muslim calendar: In Morocco is one of the most anticipated times of the year; here we are happy to fast. Every Muslim who has made a “perfect” Ramadan can see all their sins erased as shown in this religious quote (among Muslims) “When Ramadan comes, the Gates of Heaven are Opened, The Gates of Hell are closed and the Devil are chained, and anyone going to enter paradise.”

 It is a holy month for all Muslims here during this month lifestyle changes. This youth is also very beneficial in terms of health, something scientifically proven.

II.     Practice during Ramadan

A.    Religious and cultural aspect

Ramadan is a very religious month. Muslims are expected to fast but also read all the Coran. They must also develop the habit of praying (even after this month). Taraweh prayers are performed after the last normal prayer. They don’t have to practice it  but it is strongly recommended. During these prayers, the Coran is read at high road during all the month. 

This is a month of Giving and sharing, Muslims prepare special food and buy gifts for family and friends, for the poor and needy who can’t afford it; they also buy new clothes. 

In Muslim countries, if someone (a muslim) doesn’t fast, it's considered an action that will take him to court. The others can eat of course but not in public.

Here is what people commemorate: ( from Wikipedia)

     * 2 Ramadan: Revelation Of The Torah to Moses (the Shia tradition)
     *10 Ramadan: death of Khadija, Muhammad's first wife
     *12 Ramadan: Revelation Of The Gospel Of Jesus (tradition of Shi'ism)
     *15 Ramadan: Birth of Imam Hassan bin Ali
     *17 Ramadan Muslims'victory at the Battle of Badr
     *18 Ramadan: Revelation of the Book of Psalms to David (tradition of Shi'ism)
     *19 Ramadan: The Caliph Ali knocked On the head by a sword
     *21 Ramadan: death of Caliph Ali as a result of His Injuries
     *23 Ramadan: Revelation Of The Quran to Muhammad (Shi'ite tradition)

The most important day is  Laylat Al Qadr, one day awaited by everyone and the most sacred of the year. This is the day when the Coran came to the Muslims from Allah. To meet this, the Muslims prepare special dishes but also pray until dawn. But Ramadan has also an economic aspect...

B.    Economic Aspect

Ramadan leads to a significant increase in expenditure of a family. Moroccans spend an average of 4080 dhs per month in total expenditure including food transport ... but during this holy month, these monthly expenditure pass to 4480 dhs. However, this increase in spending during the month differs by region in Morocco. In cities the increase is 5 percent and in rural areas the increase is 3 times higher than in cities, near 15 percent.

Ramadan affects the structure of the total budget. The food budget is very large (nearly 50%) and various foods are more consumed during this holy month. Dairy products, eggs, meat, fish and legumes are the foods which are most consumed. 

For example, a family consumes 21.6 litters of milk during Ramadan cons 15.8 litters for the rest of the year! 

We can also note that the budget spent on meals and drinks to the outside decreases sharply reflecting the image of family unity during this holy month.

 By Anas Neba, Younes Matrougi, Karim Bennani and Abdellah Goutline.

A lecture on Pop Art

A presentation by Chayanne Laghdir and Ana-Isabella Tanasé.

A Very Happy New Year to All!

Hi everyone,

As you may have noticed last night was the New Year!!

So first of all happy New Year everyone and our bests wishes for 2011.

It is known as the Christian or Gregorian calendar and it is based on the time that takes the earth to circle around the sun which means about 365 days for a year

Although in Morocco about a month ago we celebrated another New Year: 1431 which is known as the first Moharem.

It is different because it based on the moon, so it’s shorter: usually minus 13 days every year. During this celebration, we gather with our families to eat a special meal which is “chahria” which is chicken with special Moroccan noodles. Unfortunately Moharem the first is less and less celebrated compared to December thirty first but our parents try to keep the tradition. Family is extremely important for us! They are usually very extended but we try to see each other every week or so.

However the most common and the most well celebrated New Year by youth and now even older people is the Christian New Year since it is the daily life calendar. This is the celebration we party, with our friends and when we sleep until very late morning. January the first it's also a bank holiday. Even if there are some stereotypes about Morocco as a not very developed country, we celebrate the regular New Year as we should and very properly.

We really hope we have been able to change some stereotypes that foreign people can have. Some were actually astonished by the fact that we could wear shorts actually put on makeup even in Morocco. Some others also see Morocco as a non developed country where pupils go to school by camels and do not have electricity!

We actually go out a lot (or used to since this year we have tons of work and we finish at 5:00 pm or 6:00 every day) with our friends! A very typical day with friends is lunch in a restaurant, cinema and then we can just stay on the beach or we can just stay at someone’s place.

They are also clubs and very night restaurants for the night.

Although this is when we have time, during school weeks the only break we can allow ourselves is watching a nice serie! Each one has his preference but thanks to streaming video we are always updated.

Once Again HAPPY (whichever you want) NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!!!

The Tradition of Baptism in Morocco

    This tradition is purely religious and comes from the muslim practices. Seven , fourteen or twenty-one days after a child’s birth, his parent have to choose a first name for him and formalize it. Outside these dates, religion says that it’s impossible to formalize a newborn’s first name .

    To do that, an important event is organized :  family members are invited to a feast that lasts a whole day.

    First of all, everyone is gathered around a copious breakfast

    Then , it’s time to sacrifice the traditional sheep cited in the Quran because in the muslim religion , the baby's name is not valid before that offering.

    Next, all the guests spend the rest of the day together. People give gifts to the newborn and his parents and they are invited to gather around food and to enjoy a pleasant family atmosphere .

    This religious tradition is practiced by most of the moroccan families and the celebration is more or less sumptuous according to  families’ financial means.

    Even if it is a muslim country, Morocco is a tolerant nation, allows all the practicing of all the religions. So we can find, besides the mosques, many churches where is practiced the catholic baptism.

    It is the first of the three sacraments in the catholic religion.

    Baptism is the most symbolic Catholic ceremony. It shows the belonging to the Christian family, the purification from the sins and symbolizes the new life of the Christian believer. It’s a common sacrament in every church.

    Baptism depends on the baptizer’s age: if he is a baby, his parents decide if he’s going to be baptized, and if he is an adult, he decides if he wants to be baptized.

    Baptism is practiced by immersion: the person is dived in holy water, and he is thus purified. Nowadays, for the baby who is baptized, only the top of his head is being wet.

    This catholic tradition is practiced in Morocco by christian people, but it is not common to the whole Moroccan population, which is mostly muslim.

 By : ALAOUI Maryam, ARNONE Théo, ABDENADHER Yassine et ANNABI Alia

Ashura...

    We are going to talk about a famous Arab Muslim celebration: Ashura.

This day is for some an occasion to get together in family and to offer gifts & for other to mourn our Prophet’s grandson who died in a battle.

I/ Origins:

It has been established by our Prophet, before the introduction of the fast of Ramadan, it is a fasting period of two days, the second on 10 of Muharram (first month of the Islamic calendar), gave the name to the event: indeed Ashura comes from Ashara in Arabic which means ten.  It was modelled on the Jewish fast of Yom Kippur, established on the tenth day of the seventh month and Prophet Muhammad extended the fast from Muharram the 9^th to Muharram the 10^th.

II/Nowadays:

In Morocco, Ashura is not a religious day anymore. Today Moroccan people gather with friends and have good time with mouth-watering food, music -especially percussions, and jokes. We teenagers throw water balloons and eggs on each other. We used to light firecrackers but it isn’t allowed anymore. Children are offered lots of toys and candies.

Some people still do the 2 days fast for religious reasons because it’s supposed to erase many sins but most of us don’t.

We can say that in Morocco, Ashura is a day of happiness and fun that is celebrated by all, young & old, whether trough music, laughter or noise!

Ghali Mehadji, Reda Benkirane & Omar Amri

Other explanation and pictures about Aïd Al Ahda...

            Eid al-Adha is the biggest Muslim celebration. It is celebrated  on the 10^th day of the last month of the lunar Islamic calendar (which is called Dhu al-Hijjah). On this day, Muslim families get together and sacrifice generally a sheep (but they can also sacrifice other animals like goats, cows or camels). There is a very good and warm ambiance that can be compared with those other families get when they gather for celebrations like Christmas or Thanksgiving.

            First of all, to present you this very important Muslim holiday, we should talk about the history and the origin of this celebration.

In fact, this celebration happens to commemorate Ibrahim's (Abraham's Arabic name) obedience to God when he accepted to sacrifice his son Isma'il. Indeed, according to the Qur'an, Ibrahim was ordered by God in his dream to offer his son as a sacrifice, as he was a prophet he knew that his dream was inspired by God and he decided to fulfill His will. Because he couldn't do that without informing his son, Ibrahim told him what God wanted. Isma'il said that what his father have been commended should be done, so he accepted. When both the father and the son were almost making the sacrifice, God stopped Ibrahim telling him that He didn't need Isma'il to be killed and instead of that Ibrahim was told to sacrifice a ram.

This is basically the religious story which is the origin of this annual celebration.

            Then, we're going to tell you more in details the procedure of the feast, especially how it is celebrated in Morocco.

At first, in the morning, a collective prayer takes place in Mosques or big places. At the end of it, the Imam (the person who leads Islamic worship services) sacrifices a goat. 

From this moment, people exchange the Eid greetings and come back home. They take a great breakfast with their family and they start sacrificing their goat. Throughout the day, they prepare typical special meals with meat (for example skewer, roast, tajine... accompanied with Moroccan tea and pastries) and they welcome friends and family to enjoy this traditional cooking.

The meat that people get from the sacrifice serves to prepare familial and guest meals but a part must be reserved and offered as charity to poor people.

Sometimes, this celebration is also the opportunity to buy clothes, especially for children. Even if they don't buy them, they put on their most beautiful and traditional clothes and, women possibly adorn their hands with Henna patterns.

            It's important to note that buying and sacrificing a goat is not compulsory if you cannot afford it but customs make it sound that way in people's mind, so everyone wants his goat. This day has an official status, it's a holiday for everyone, no one works and stores are closed. Moreover, during the morning when the sacrifice happens, streets are almost empty.

            Finally, in our opinion,  Eid al-Adha is a very important holiday and it is much more than a simple sacrifice because it gathers families in happy, jovial and loving atmosphere, it allows people to appreciate oneself as a member of a community. We think that this family dimension characterize typically this celebration. Moreover, we can say that the fact people must  give charity to poor persons in need contributes highly to preserve Moroccans' moral, and especially generosity and sharing.

Therefore, as we can see, Moroccan population is united because of its culture and traditions which promote the group before the person.

We hope this introduction helped you to understand a little bit more Moroccan culture and traditions and you enjoyed reading it ! Thank you for your interest.

Aïd Al Ahda

Hi everybody!

We are four students from the Lycée Lyautey : Réda.D , Noha.D, Walid.T and Zin.T.

Today , we will tell you about our big celebration: Aid el Adha. It happens two months after Ramadan ( the month of fasting). This celebration is typical and the majority of muslims practice it. The feast consists in a sheep sacrifice.The feast permits to gather together all the family and it often takes place at the grandparent's house. 

The sacrifice of the sheep happens during the morning. Generally , it’s the older son who does the sacrifice. After that, people prepare the meals and then, eat a part of it. Later, they give the other part to poor people. They prepare very appetizing dishes like KEBAB and BOULFAFE. 

During the celebration, people go to visit their family and it's the oppurtinity to see distant relatives. In the feast, people can wear differents clothes than usual. For exemple, women and men wear a beautiful traditionnal clothe name DJELLABA.

So, the feast is very pleasant and amiable and permits us to meet our family, and spend good time with them.

The End of Ramadan.

Hi Texans,
We’re going to introduce a famous celebration in Morocco and in the Muslims countries. It’s Aid-Al-Fitr. It represents the end of the sacred month: Ramadan. In this month, we fast all the day, from sunrise to sunset, during a month. We set the date by reference to the crescent of the moon.
In our religion, God (Allah) wanted us to fast to feel how the poor feels; also it’s the month when the Quran came down by an angel "Gabriel" to the Prophet Mohammed but the Quran came down to Earth in a specific night called Laylat al-Qadr and throughout the night, we pray, recite the Quran asking forgiveness for the sins committed. Our comrade will explain you in more detail this particular night.
Let’s talk about Aid-Al-Fitr or Aid-As-Saghir. In the early morning, we perform the alms of breaking the fast or Zakat-Al-Fitr. We have some rules for Zakat-Al-Fitr, We must give the equivalent of 2.10 pounds of foods like dates, dried fruits, rice, cheese to the poor.
After the Zakat, we go to the mosque for prayers or Salat Al Eid in the early morning, and then, we take a traditional breakfast, and for the rest of the journey, we eat normally.

(Written by Anass Tarabi, Amine Sghir, Saad Benkirane & Hamza El Yamani)

Here at last ;-)

I have received some of the articles you were longing for on time, from the begining of our holidays until  yesterday,11:37, for the last one. For those who are late... BEWARE: you'll have to be very convincing next Thursday, when we meet again...
Anyway, I hope everybody will enjoy these articles on the most important celebrations in Morocco...