For centuries, Morocco’s Amazigh – the “free people” – celebrated Yennayer behind closed doors, their New Year a quiet act of defiance against systematic erasure of their identity.
Dozens of bonfires illuminate the rocky slopes above Tisselday in Morocco’s High Atlas Mountains as night falls on January 13. The flames dance against the darkness, marking the eve of Yennayer 2975, the Amazigh New Year.
In villages and cities across North Africa, indigenous communities prepare for a celebration that predates recorded history, carrying forward traditions that have survived centuries of marginalization and cultural pressure.
From mountainside “douars” (small villages) to busy city quarters, the air fills with calls of “Aseggas Ambarki,” “Aseggas Amaynou,” “Aseggas Ighoudan,” “Aseggas Anammar,” and “Aseggas Ameggaz” – ancient wishes for a blessed, new, prosperous, and happy year. The greetings, passed down through generations, carry both the weight of history and hopes for the future.
A heritage written in time
The Amazigh calendar carries the weight of three millennia, marking time since 950 BCE when Sheshonq I, a Libyan-born pharaoh ascended to Egypt’s throne. As founder of Egypt’s 22nd dynasty, he unified Egypt and later invaded Palestine, where he captured the treasures of Jerusalem’s Temple of Solomon – an event significant enough to be recorded in the Bible.
Yennayer, derived from the words “yan” (one) and “ayyur” (month), literally means “first month” in the Amazigh language – Tamazight. An alternative etymology traces the word to the Latin “ianuarius,” from which January itself originates.
Known by various names across regions, including “id seggas” or “haguza” in Morocco’s indigenous communities, the celebration transcends mere historical commemoration, pulsing with living traditions, agricultural rhythms, and seasonal cycles that have governed life in these lands since before written records began.
The celebration marks the beginning of the agricultural calendar, rooted in the Julian system that dominated North Africa during Roman times. Local communities refer to this period as the beginning of the “Black Nights,” a 20-day stretch marking one of the year’s coldest periods, reflecting the deep connection between Amazigh cultural practices and the agricultural heritage of the region.
This year’s celebration marks a watershed moment in Morocco. As the second year of official recognition unfolds following King Mohammed VI’s historic May 2023 decree, schools and businesses will close their doors, transforming what was once a day of quiet cultural resistance into a nationally acknowledged celebration.
The shift represents a dramatic change from a challenging past when Amazigh children faced punishment for speaking their mother tongue in classrooms for decades.
The holiday’s institutionalization, following Algeria’s 2018 recognition, came after tireless advocacy by indigenous rights activists.
The royal recognition extends beyond a symbolic gesture. The government increased its 2023 budget supporting the Amazigh language by 50% to MAD 300 million ($30 million), pledging to hire hundreds of official clerks for public services.
This institutional support marks a decisive break from policies that once actively suppressed Amazigh identity, ushering in a new era of cultural recognition in Morocco.
Celebration across regions: More than a meal
The celebration known as “imensi n’Yennayer” typically begins as darkness falls on Yennayer eve. In Morocco’s diverse regions, families gather for rituals that blend agricultural traditions with cultural preservation. The evening starts with “id seggas” or “thabbourth aseggas” (the door of the year) as called by Kabylies in Algeria, marking the transition between seasons.
In High Atlas villages, the aroma of “ourkemen” fills homes – a rich mixture of seven varieties of dried legumes and grains simmering with sheep’s or cow’s foot. The dish combines lentils, split peas, chickpeas, white beans, broad beans, corn, wheat, and barley, symbolizing agricultural diversity and abundance. Traditional beliefs hold that eating well on Yennayer ensures prosperity throughout the year.
The Ouirgane Valley, an hour south of Marrakech, sees families preparing fine couscous garnished with peeled hard boiled eggs and dusted with cinnamon.
In the Souss region, particularly around Tiznit, “tagoula” takes center stage on family’s tables. This ancient dish demands hours of patient preparation, cooked slowly over wood fires until the corn or barley semolina transforms into a thick, nourishing porridge. Served with olive or argan oil, honey, and traditional smen (fermented butter), each component carries symbolic weight in the celebration.
The ritual of “amnaz” – hiding a date pit in the “tagoula” – adds an element of festive anticipation. While traditionally believed to bring good fortune to its finder, some families have adapted the practice, using almonds instead of date pits to prevent dental mishaps while maintaining the tradition’s spirit.
Rituals of renewal
The celebration encompasses more than just communal meals. Families undertake thorough house cleaning, symbolically purifying their spaces for the new year. Women burn aromatic herbs and branches, filling homes with cleansing smoke.
Traditional beliefs discourage certain activities: sweeping (to avoid chasing away good fortune), removing fire from the house, or speaking words associated with hardship or misfortune.
Children receive handfuls of sweets and dried fruits – a tradition known as “trèze” in some Algerian regions, containing precisely thirteen different varieties for luck. Women maintain the ancient practice of sharing food with nature, setting aside crumbs for birds and insects, embodying beliefs in universal abundance.
From marginalization to ‘recognition’
The path to official recognition winds through decades of systematic marginalization.
Following independence, Morocco’s drive to assert itself as an Arabo-Muslim nation led to aggressive Arabization policies that actively suppressed Amazigh identity. Schools became primary tools of cultural assimilation, where children were punished for speaking their mother tongue.
Traditional systems of land management were dismantled, while Amazigh customary laws guaranteeing rights to land – never reinstated after the colonial period – left communities vulnerable to displacement.
The state’s Arabization strategy extended beyond language policy. Public institutions, media, and administrative services operated exclusively in Arabic, effectively excluding Amazigh speakers from participating fully in civic life.
This institutional marginalization pushed Amazigh cultural practices to the periphery, treating them as folkloric remnants rather than living traditions of Morocco’s indigenous population.
The impact of these policies rippled through generations. Amazigh communities faced systemic barriers to education, employment, and political representation. The abolition of traditional land rights led to widespread displacement, forcing many to abandon ancestral territories.
This erosion of land access not only threatened economic stability but struck at the heart of Amazigh cultural identity, where connection to ancestral lands forms the foundation of community life.
The devastating earthquake of September 2023, which claimed over 2,800 lives, exposed the ongoing consequences of this historical marginalization. Often lacking basic infrastructure and emergency services, Amazigh villages suffered disproportionate damage.
Remote communities found themselves isolated from aid, with crumbling infrastructure and inadequate emergency response systems revealing the stark disparities in development and public investment. The disaster laid bare how decades of exclusion from national development planning left Amazigh regions particularly vulnerable to natural disasters.
The earthquake’s aftermath magnified the persistent gap between symbolic recognition and substantive equality, demonstrating how historical marginalization continues to shape present-day vulnerabilities in Amazigh communities.
Language rights and education
These structural inequalities persist despite recent cultural recognition. While Tamazight gained official language status in 2011, the implementation of this policy remains limited in practice.
Government services, healthcare information, and emergency communications still primarily operate in Arabic and French, creating persistent barriers for Amazigh communities.
The struggle for meaningful linguistic inclusion continues, with the current 31% rate of Tamazight instruction in primary schools reflecting both progress and persistent challenges, though government initiatives aim to reach 50% by 2025-26.
The Ministry of Education’s ambitious roadmap envisions expanding this initiative from the current 1,803 primary schools to 12,000 institutions by 2030, potentially benefiting four million students.
The 2019 law formalizing Tamazight’s use in governmental administration, local authorities, and public services marked another milestone. Yet, practical implementation often falls short of legal promises, with usage largely limited to official signage rather than substantive integration into administrative functions.
Even the 2024 census sparked controversy, with the Moroccan Association for Research and Cultural Exchange criticizing the High Commission for Planning for “systematic exclusion of Tamazight” in the process.
The census claimed only 25% of Moroccans speak Amazigh, a figure strongly contested by activists who assert the real number could be as high as 85% of the population.
The journey toward recognition has seen significant milestones. King Mohammed VI’s historic 2001 Ajdir speech affirmed Amazigh identity as fundamental to Moroccan culture, leading to the establishment of the Royal Institute of Amazigh Culture. In 2003, Morocco officially adopted the Tifinagh script, culminating in the 2011 constitutional recognition.
Yet, activists note a concerning trend. Moroccan human rights activist Ahmed Assid points out that “Amazigh language lost two thirds of its speakers in five decades,” highlighting the urgent need for preservation efforts despite official progress.
Living heritage
With Morocco marking its second year of officially recognizing Yennayer, the celebration comes at a time of both progress and persistent challenges for the Amazigh people.
Traditional Amazigh land management systems, dismantled during colonial times, remain un-reinstated. Remote communities still struggle for basic infrastructure and services.
Yet in villages across the High Atlas, families gather around communal plates, sharing meals that symbolize abundance and renewal. Children search for hidden dates in their “tagoula,” while elders pass down stories of harsh winters and resilient communities.
Young couples choose this time for weddings, and families mark their sons’ first haircuts, linking personal milestones to the cycle of seasonal renewal.
The celebration of Yennayer 2975 thus stands as both a victory and a reminder – of battles won for cultural recognition, and of continued struggles for full equality and justice.
source/content: moroccoworldnews.com (headline edited)
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“Aseggas Ambarki, Amaynou, Ighoudan, Ameggaz” ring out across Morocco today.
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MOROCCO
