Amazigh people celebrate each year on January 13 their new year “yennayer” The Amazigh new year, is related to the agricultural calendar.
Some historians say that celebrating the Amazigh New Year is a commemoration of King Shishing‘s victory over the Pharaohs on the banks of the Nile in 950 B.C. and the Amazigh were able to establish a new monarchy that ruled from Libya to Egypt, this event marked the date of Amazigh new year.
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The Amazigh New Year is celebrated through several activities. We are going to highlight most of them in this article.
In Morocco’s celebrations, as every year, Amazigh families in several regions of the country prepare special dishes including couscous, tagine, and ‘Tagulla’, the famous Amazigh dish served on Yennayer. Tagulla (a corn kernel) with butter ghee or Argan oil, remains a staple for Yennayer festivities, traditionally they hide a date stone in Tagulla plate, the lucky person who finds it will be blessed throughout the whole year.
In other regions of Morocco, they prepare chicken Tagine. however, others prepare Couscous with seven vegetables moreover, neighbors exchange various ‘Fakiah’ (Dry fruits) between them, it is a sort of familiarity. There are also many amazing traditions that accompany the food that the Amazigh prepare for this night Apart from dancing and singing special songs of love, fertility and, welcoming a new agrarian year, the Amazigh people, in particular those in the country side, find in this occasion a better chance to socialize, exchange food .
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They also host their neighbors, children and adults accompanied by traditional music and dance (Ahwach), yet they exchange wishes during this joyful day.
Amazigh culture scholar “Abdallah Bozandag” ; said that since the
beginning of the Amazigh movement, it has demanded that the Amazigh New Year to be an official and national holiday, adding that in the beginning the celebrations on this occasion were only carried out by Amazigh associations, but now all Amazigh families celebrate it.
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Currently, Amazigh activists are still calling on the government to approve the Amazigh New Year as a national day and public holiday. Tamazight has been recognized as an official language in Morocco, so it is not conceivable that the Amazigh New Year is not recognized. It is also part of the Moroccan culture and identity, said Mr. Bozandag.
Amazigh activists say that denying validity of Yennayer as Amazigh new year is cultural exclusion. This event is a symbol of Amazigh identity and a common history that unites Amazigh people across North Africa. I wish you a happy 2971 new year full of joy and success, or as we say in Tamazight Assuggas Amggaz.
