North Africans celebrate Yennayer, the Amazigh New Year

North Africans are preparing the celebration of the Amazigh New Year, called Yennayer, across the region and the diaspora, reports Le Matin d’Algerie on 12th January.

The Amazigh people (also known as Berbers) are considered to be the indigenous people of North Africa, and while many North Africans don’t speak Amazigh dialects anymore, it is a part of the local heritage that is now mostly celebrated and protected, although it can also lead to political contention.

Yennayer is a very ancient tradition dating back to Antiquity and it is associated to pagan rites and agriculture cycles, marking the end of the harvest season. While Amazigh traditions and languages have been largely left out of post-independence national discourse, which focused on Arabization policies, there has been an important revival over the last 40 years, both in Algeria and in Morocco. Yennayer is now an important cultural celebration, particularly in Amazigh majority areas like the Aurès in Algeria, and the Sousse region in Morocco.

In Algeria, cultural associations used the occasion to renew calls for this date to be recognized as a national holiday. This is already the case in Morocco, where it is celebrated on the 14th January following King Mohammed VI’s official recognition in 2023. In the Agadir area, a large programme of celebrations will be held, with various shows and workshops, as well as traditional food tasting sessions.

The event will also be marked in many state schools, where Amazigh dialects have been gradually introduced throughout the country. These measures have given many children an opportunity to learn how to read and write these ancestral languages, protecting them from extinction.

The Amazigh New Year is usually celebrated with specific dishes, which vary according to the region, but include couscous, as well as winter soups made with beans or wheat. Some traditions involve cutting hair and buying new clothes for the new year, or making bonfires as a symbol of purification. People also wear colorful, embroidered dresses or kaftan reflecting the local craftsmanship, and Amazigh flags are a common feature, a symbol of unity and shared heritage across the region.

Le Matin d’Algerie, Les Eco, Maghrebi.org