The Hegira calendar and its festivals
Moroccans follow the Hegira calendar for religious holidays, which begins on July 16, 622, the date on which the Prophet Mohammed fled from Mecca to Medina. Thus, the year 2024 in the Christian calendar corresponds to the year 1445 in the Muslim era. In addition to this gap of more than six centuries between the two religions, the Hegira calendar takes the movement of the moon as its reference, whereas ours is based on the movement of the sun. A Muslim year then has 354 to 355 days, comprising 12 lunar months of 29 to 30 days. As the beginnings of the months are determined by the naked eye and not by astronomical calculations, there are a multitude of Muslim calendars. The dates of religious festivals vary from country to country, and in the Christian calendar are ten to eleven days earlier than in the previous year.
The most important Muslim festival, Eid al-Adha, known as the Feast of Sacrifice, is celebrated on the 10th of the last month of the Hegira calendar. It commemorates Ibrahim's devotion to his God, when he agreed to sacrifice his son Ishmael on an altar. At the last moment, God sends him a sheep via the archangel Gabriel to replace the child's sacrifice. Since then, Muslims have sacrificed a sheep every year, according to a very precise rite. Sawm, the Ramadan fast, is the other major event of the year, one of the five pillars of Islam, and is celebrated in the 9th month of the Hegira calendar. To commemorate the revelation of the Koran to Muhammad, Muslims must observe a number of rules between sunrise and sunset. They are forbidden to eat, drink or have sexual relations during the fast. Life takes on a particular rhythm during the day, when most stores are closed, but by the time the fast is broken, the mood is more festive. At the end of Ramadan, every worshipper must give alms, which corresponds to the Zakat, the third pillar of Islam.
Prayer, a daily ritual
In Morocco, as in all Muslim countries, each day is punctuated five times a day by a ritual prayer, called Salat, which is the fourth pillar of Islam. At dawn, noon, vespers, sunset and dusk, the muezzin calls for prayer from the top of his minaret, echoing throughout the city. The times are not fixed, but vary with the seasons. Although the communal prayer in the mosque is the most important, Muslims can also pray anywhere, simply by turning towards Mecca. They must, however, undergo the ritual of ablutions, which consists of purifying certain parts of the body with water or even sand, if they are in the middle of the desert. On Fridays, the Muslim holy day, the faithful gather at the mosque for the midday prayer. Washed and dressed in clean clothes, they remove their shoes before entering the sacred precinct. After the imam's sermon, they start praying together, all equal before Allah. In Morocco, Friday is not considered a day off, but businesses are sometimes closed at the time of the main prayer.
The zawiya, sanctuary of Sufi marabout
Although Islam does not recognize saints in the biblical sense of the term, there are nevertheless confraternity gathering centers in Morocco, called zaouïas, where marabouts who belonged to one of the Sufi confraternities are venerated. The body of the saint is preserved in a shrine, where numerous devotees light candles and meditate - a practice strongly forbidden by Islam, since only Allah is to be worshipped. Like the zaouia of Sidi Ahmad al-Tijani in Fez, disciples here perpetuate the teachings of the Sufi marabout and recite numerous liturgies. Pilgrimages, known as moussem, are organized around the shrine every year on a fixed date. The ceremony begins with a sacrifice, often of a bull, which is intended to bring the baraka, the grace that everyone hopes and prays for. Beyond their religious significance, moussems today often mark the end of a harvest or accompany a happy event with folklore events (fantasias, fairs, dances...). A popular celebration among the tribes, nearly 700 moussems are organized in Morocco every year, including the Tan-Tan moussem, the great gathering of the Saharan nomads, which is included on UNESCO's list of Intangible Heritage.
Mystical beliefs
Mentioned in the Koran, djinns are invisible, supernatural beings said to live near water sources, in deserts, forests and cemeteries. In popular belief, Moroccans believe that these djinns can possess a person, and are relatively afraid of them. Several superstitions have grown out of this legend, including that of not pouring hot water down the drain at the risk of awakening a djinn who could take revenge by paralyzing the person. There are said to be fifteen or so invisible beings who can haunt people's minds, like Sidi Chamharouch, the sultan of the djinns, who is said to have lived in the 12th century! A shrine has been built on the spot where he ended his days near Aroumd, in the Ait Mizane valley. Some say his sacred spirit has been flying through the High Atlas mountains ever since. Those who visit him will have to wear white or green clothes to avoid upsetting the chief of the djinns! Certain mystico-religious brotherhoods, such as the Gnaouas and the Aissawa, are said to possess supernatural powers that can remove the spell from a possessed person. While the Koran recommends reading verses to cure the sick, these brotherhoods use maraboutic rituals of trance and exorcism, whose sometimes violent practices have been denounced, as in the case of the Bouya Oumar mausoleum near Marrakech. In the case of sentimental or work-related problems, some Moroccans do not hesitate to go and see a chouwafa, a clairvoyant, who predicts their future or performs incantations or bewitchments. This practice is quite widespread, particularly on the islet of Sidi Abderrahmane, opposite Casablanca, where many fortune-tellers engage in these practices.
