Aissawas' Brotherhood

On the French version of this blog, someone mentioned the Aïssawas. Even if they are not as well as the Gnawas outside of Morocco, they are as important, even more, in the country. Like Gnawas, they are a constellation we can see under different viewpoints.

Tribe from the south, between Tafraoute and Taroudant, they are the origin of one of the most important brotherhoods of north Africa. Created in the sixteenth century by Sidi Mohammed ben Aïssa, it has its centre in Meknes, where the saint is buried.

One would need a whole website to really explain what are the Moroccan zawyias, and what they represent. To say – mutatis mutandis – that they are the equivalent of the abbeys of the Middle Age, in terms of political power and religious influence, would be a good summary. They are at the same time a religious centre, and an Islamic school, they host poor people and diseases, and take an active part as power and counter-power centres in the history of Morocco.

A zawyia is organised around a Muslim saint, a Sidi, as they are called, a pious man loving God, and who receives in return Baraka. Baraka became in French the equivalent of good luck, but it is more than that. It's is the power granted by God t make miracles, surge a source of water, cure the diseases, expel the djinns, and, in general, protect ones' people (hence the good luck that you have when you're tribe has a Sidi with Baraka). Baraka can be inherited. The Sidi transmits his powers to his sons and descent. That's how, over time, Gnawas, Aïssawas or other groups, became special people, with this inherited power. Most of the members of the brotherhood belong to the original tribe, but, in some cases, external people are also welcomed. They will be part of the brotherhood, but will not get themselves the Baraka.

Zawyia is the name of the central building of the brotherhood, as well as the brotherhood itself. Like the abbey is the building, the organisation, its members and its culture. The building is erected around the grave of the Sidi, or marabout, which is the centre of the Baraka, like a focus. Usually, there are also an inn, where pilgrims are hosted, a mosque, a Medersa, or Islamic school, with a library, and a hospital. Many mental diseases are cured there, through specific rituals.

Zawyias are impregnated with Sufism. Second topic which would need a whole website… and a third one about specificities of Moroccan Sufism. To make it short, Sufism is the esoteric, mystical part of Islam. The believer seeks the destruction of his own personality, the dissolution of the ego, through a constant reminder of God. This remembrance (dikhr) is made, among others, through long litanies leading to trance, the repetitions of the names of Gods, his praises, and the praise of saints. It can also be accomplished through other rituals, like dance (see the dervishes), and trance, which opens to other rituals, in conjunction with Baraka. This is how one can walk on fire…
Sufism is a mystic and ascetic movement. It is also feared by the central power, for its strength, and specially in south Morocco, zawiyas were essential players, pillars around which the resistance of the rebelled country (bled al siba) against the maghzen (central power of the sultan, which was sometimes a very small part of Morocco) was organized.
In an Islam country, where everyone is submitted to God, any religious leader is a potential threat for the political power…

Brotherhoods rituals also made place for pre-Islamic beliefs. Magical rituals forbidden by Islam are tolerated when then are the expression of God's power and will, through the Baraka given to the saint.

What remains of this spirituality depends of the people. Some see there only the sacrifice of a goat or a mutton, the power of the spell, like the one binding husbands on this grid (in Marrakech, one of the graves of the seven Holy Men). Others will be more sensitive to the mystic, this quest of self-oblivion in the divine. Very clearly, nowadays, what is openly spoken are the second part, rituals, dikhr, and songs. Magic does not exist, at least maybe for other people, the neighbour maybe ? … Then, what are all these hands of Fatima and other protections for ?

Aissawas are among the most feared in Morocco. Patrick had a wonderful sentence, "bogeymen of Morocco". Their rituals are terrible, they are even told to eat living snakes. Their power is as great. Their zawiya, in Meknes, is allied to Moulay Idriss, the Holy city where the assassinated founder of the first Moroccan dynasty is buried.

These rituals are not mentioned on their site. Because they do have a site where the religious part of their rituals is well detailed. Like one often says in Morocco, between tradition and modernity ! Pay a visit to their pages, and specially to the MP3 file, that gives a small extract of a sung praise. Imagine yourself there, in the heart of the night, in a small dark room. The rhythms of the drums started a long time ago, and you're a part of this deep and regular choir, for hours….

No fool's day but Mouloud

Today is the Prophet's birthday. So no fool's day, no stupid jokes, but a holliday, and also tomorrow.

In many villages, there will be a moussem. That's the case in Tazzarine, where Sidi Amrou is celebrated. It's marabout (mausoleum) is paint totally anew, and decorated. Singing and dancing will take place in the street.

Rose Festival in Kelaa M'Gouna

We finally officially know will the Rose Festival (or moussem) take place, in the first week-end of may, from Friday the 4th to Sunday the 6th. At least this is what Tourism Office told us, and I hope this information will be more accurate than the one about Erfoud last summer !

Practically, that means one more "institutionnalized" moussem (or festival). At the beginning, Roses Festival was linked to the harvest, and took place when the latest roses where cut. People could relax and celebrate.
To fix the date so long time in advance means the moussem will happen whatever the state of the harvest.. (Do you know farmers able to tell you three months in advance the exact day they will finish the harvest ?)

On one hand, it is quite logical, for such a touristic event, attracting so many people, it is quite hard to leave tourists and travel agency in the unknown: "you can come for a week and book your plane, but we can't promise you you'll see what you want, and come for."

This moussem was quite officialized already, with sponsors like Maroc Telecom, covering with advertisment boards the walls around the stage where the traditionnal dancing and singing takes place. And officials, all decorated and aligned, in the main stand. A Gouvernor has an agenda as hard to manage as a tourist booking, that cannot bear roses fantasies...

But, after Erfoud, after Imilchil, it is once again a piece of real tradition which fades away, pushed by the demands of tourist development...

Whatever, it is a beautiful time. The key point is undoubtedly on Saturday, with gnawa, ahwach, music,sabre dancing...

Kelaa's streets are covered with people, children are ckimbing on the lamp-posts, and people come from everywhere around to take part and sell something. The moussem is at the same time a huge souq, many people offer a few trinkets on a blanket on the ground. I often found there beautiful berber jewels... and many fake ones.

My advice would be to plan large around. The visit of the roses gardens is better made in the week, before every one is busy with the moussem. One has to loose himself in the small labyrinths, enter the gardens and take time to discuss with the people, that's the best way to enjoy Morocan hospitality.

The drums of Ashura

In my bedroom on the terrace of the ryad, small drums give rhythm to the evening and seem to come from everywhere around. The sun is down, the birds don't sing anymore, and the sounds of the city reach the roof. But the shouts of the merchants, donkey drivers, roars of bikes hardly passing through the narrow streets are covered by the laughs of the children preparing Ashura.

The day of Ashura, the tenth (ashura) of the month of Muharram has very diverse meanings and connotations through the Muslim world. Day of grief and sorrow for the Shiites who revive every year the martyr of Hussein and his family, Muhammad's grandson killed by the ommeyades in the struggle for the power, it becomes much less important in the Sunni world, where it is nothing more than one of the two days of fast that became optional after the institution of Ramadan.

It can also be associated to the deads, and the visit to the cemetery where candles will be burned, like in Tunisia. At the same time, and specially in north Africa, it is linked with the very old and pre-islamic rites of resurrection, and, again like in Tunisia, bonfires are made, and children jump over them singing, like in our Saint-Jean.

In Morocco, Ashura is, above anything, the celebration of the children and family. Like any celebration, it is a day of charity, and also repentance, which comes from the very first signification of Ashura (taken by Muhammad from the Jewish fast of Yom Kippur, the Great Forgiveness), remain linked to the religious fast.
But for children, there is nothing but fun and feast, a strange mix of Carnival and Saint Nicolas. They receive new clothes, small toys, music instruments, and stroll in the streets, asking a few dirham to the people passing by, and preparing themselves for the great day of the morrow, "Zem-Zem".

"Zem-Zem" is the name of a well in Mecca. In Morocco, Zem-Zem is the day of watering. Every child (normally under 12) has a complete freedom to water the grown-ups, and they run around the fountains to take some water with them and go back spraying friends and neighbors.

In the countryside, other rites near to Carnival also exist. Men disguise themselves into women and pass from one house to the other singing...

In our south, in Tazzarine, a man is going to dress in a somehow frightening way, and put on his head some burning palms, like horns. Followed by all the children of the village, laughing and singing, he goes from one house to the other, knocking at each door to ask for Gaddid (meat of the mutton of the Aïd El Kebir, spiced and dried, which can be held for a whole year). He insists and stays in front of the door as long as he has not received his part. He always wins over the avaricious, and finishes his day, with all the children, in a remote part of the ksour, sharing generously his gaddid with them in a happy and delicious meal.

This year, Ashura will take place on the 29th of January. One week before, the whole city is preparing itself. In the narrow streets of the medina I see many small kids sitting in front of a large plate full of candies, at each corner a small shop sells drums... these very same drums that play in the beginning of my night.

Aïd El Fitr Moubarak

Aïd el Fitr (orAïd el Seghir, the small celebration, in reference to l’Aïd el Kebir, which in 2006 will happen the same day as New year) is the end of Ramadan. Today, for the countries following Saudi Arabia, tomorrow for Morocco.

After the imam spot the very small bit of the new moon, starts the great celebration of the end of the fast, for three full days. During these days, one puts on his best clothes, one eats (it's forbidden to fast, even if some, after the celebration, fast for sixmore days), one does not work. Everyone who cans goes in his family, and women assault tailor's shops to get, last minute, the celebration dresses, caftans, takchitas (a sort of caftan whit an over-dress of embroidered light fabric)...

So, Aïd el Fitr is also a little bit children's celebration, they receive new clothes, usually some traditionnal moroccan ones (baldi), to please the grand-parents, and some modern ones (roumi), because moroccan children do prefer, like anywhere else, jeans and sport shoes !

Neighbours visit neighbours and settle disputes, no disagreement must remain. Almonds are given, with the specific Zakat-el-Fitr, almond the the break-fast.

And some families even use the opportunity of being together to celebrate weddings !

Sweets of Ramadan, savoured in the evening, are outranked by the traditionnal recipes of Aïd El Fitr, like dates stuffed with nuts, makroud (small cakes made with butter and almonds), Krachel (biscuits with anise and sesame) or Zlabia, sort of thread of sugar fried in oil and flavoured with cardamone.

A small preparation of Aïd el Kebir…

The first canon of Ramadan

Yesterday evening, around 20h30 a canon - probably in Taourirt - shot. The imam saw the first very thin part of the new moon, and the Holy Month, the Month of the Fast, just started, for 28 or 29 days. It depends on the instant when the next new moon will be seen… And if it is impossible, for any reason, like heavy clouds and storms, to see it, in any case, Ramadan won’t last more than 30 days.
Every morning, one hour before sunrise, the canon will shoot again, to warn the believers, for some of them it’s the last meal before breakfast after sunset. The time to eat arrives when the iman cannot distinguish anymore a thin white thread from a thin black one. When the call to the evening prayer is heard arrives the breakfast, with whey, dates, eggs, msamen (a thin pancake eaten with melted butter, honey or jam), many little cakes, bread cooked with meat fat, or with onions, some soup (harira), tea or coffee. Later on, around midnight, the second meal, nourishing and abundant, you always cook too much to be able to share with your neighbours, and give to the poor.

Ramadan is indeed the month of Charity, the time of the year where nobody should be hungry. When you invite someone to eat with you, it is in the spirit of Allah, and your house becomes a little be holy, like a small mosque. That is so understandable, Ramadan’s discipline is hard enough, if on top of that one must be hungry in the evening, it becomes impossible !

During the whole day it is forbidden to eat and drink. To smoke also, and one must avoid perfume and all the pleasures, including love and fondling. As well as thinking about it, like always in Islam, intention is as important as the observance. The man who would fast the whole day but would think also about his evening meal would not be true to the spirit of Ramadan. Neither someone who would get nervous or angry. He would have to replace his missed fasting day by another one, after the end of Ramadan.. It is so hard to be hungry and thirsty all day long, in the heat (yesterday was around 30°), and to remain patient and quiet !

Several penances are possible when one does not follow Ramadan. When this is purely by mistake, for example a drop of water drunk without intention when one refreshes himself (at least you can water yourself to get a little bit cooler), one has just to replace the day by an extra one at the end of the month. If someone can’t resist and eat or drink one day, the penance is harder… either to fast another 30 days, or nourish one meal for 60 poor people.
Sick ones, women pregnant, breast-feeding or bleeding, and people travelling far away (more than 80 kilometres) are allowed not to follow Ramadan (but they can fast if the wish so). They will have to “pay back” later the missed days, whether a few of the whole month.

And many Muslims also decide to extend the month with 6 extra days.

Dates festival in Erfoud, a morrocan story

Well, if you remember, we called several times the Tourism Office in Er-rachidia, to get the exact date. Each time that was the same answer "the date will be known by 15th of September". On the 15th, I try to call, but does not have a lot of time, because I'm taking my plane.

And when i call this morning, I learn that the festival happened this very week-end, on 15th and 16th of September.

I'm quite upset, but what can we do ? That's how it is here, that was written, Mektoub....

With all his excuses, the responsible person in the Tourisme Office warns me "the social aspects of the moussem, which is now an 'International Date fair' has been abandonned to better promote its commercial goals".
In other words, no more tradition, no more camel race... just stands and money ... no regret, except to have learned it so late.

Date of dates' festival in Erfoud

After callling Errachidia Tourism office, this date will be known only mid-september.

.. but the moussem seems to have changed a lot ! According to the nice lady on the phone, "it is not at all the same as before. Now it's an International Dates Fair

What about the camel's race ?

After Imilchil moussem, advanced to end of August, and transformed into a festival of traditionnal music, Erfoud... Morocco goes into industrial tourism, and transforms its traditionnal avents into marketable products.

What a pity !

Of course, as soon as the date is known, we'll post it here !

End of the sotry is here.... the moussem is no more an traditionnal moussem, and took place on the 15th of September