Today, I’m back to present you (again) the festivities in Morocco. I love this topic, and there are many unbelievable festivities in Morocco ! So let's go for the presentation of two other events :)
1) Almond tree festival
Let’s start this new article with a festival that honors almond trees : the Almond Tree Festival, which takes place in the city of Tafraout usually in January / February. It’s likely that the festival takes place in December, when the blooms are early, because of the drought. The almond trees color the city bright and vibrant hues. Believe me, it's beautiful, it's truly a fairy tale sight. The beauty of this tree and the resulting production of almond trees have made the almond tree a true emblem of Tafraout.
The main objectives of the festival are the valuation of the local heritage of Tafraout, the development of the almond tree sector, the valuation of the heritage of the anti atlas (A mountainous massif in southwestern Morocco, oriented from southwest to northeast for 600 kilometers, from the Atlantic Sahara to the Tafilalt, the Anti-Atlas is welded to the High Atlas by the ancient volcano of Jebel Siroua) and the improvement of the socio-economic conditions of the local populations.
Regarding culture, the goal is to make relive an ancestral tradition while inviting many groups and local Berber artists (musicians, dancers, storytellers) but also international stars.
Numerous workshops of sculpture, painting, plastic art, exhibitions on the theme of the almond tree were are put in the spotlight during all these events.
2) National Festival of Popular Arts
Finally, I will tell you about the oldest festival in Morocco: the National Festival of Popular Arts which takes place in Marrakech. It was created in 1960 on the initiative of King Mohammed V, with the aim of highlighting the ancestral traditions of each region of the country at the time of decolonization.
This festival allows to measure the richness and importance of Moroccan popular traditions, whether it is dances, songs and costumes: dances of the Atlas, dances of Gnaoua, Saharan dances, animist cults ... These dances punctuate the important moments in religious or rural life. The dancers and musicians who perform come from all over Morocco.
The entertainment takes place in every corner of the city. From the Jamaa El Fna square to the El Badi palace, through the royal theater, the Menara gardens and the Sidi Youssef Ben Ali square.
To not miss this festival, you must go to Marrakech in July :)