In Kabylia, in the north of Algeria, the inhabitants of Bouzeguene and its surroundings celebrated the first day of the Berber New Year on Friday (Yennayer 2974).
The Sahel village, known as the most beautiful village in the region, is chosen each year to celebrate the event.
“Yennayer is the first day of the new year, Yennayer brings rain and irrigates the land and trees, Yennayer brings snow so that there is still water in summer and farmers can plow and harvest the land “said a resident.
In Algeria, the first day of the Berber New Year has been celebrated since 2017, but other Maghreb countries with a strong Berber community also celebrate this day in order to give greater importance to Amazigh culture.
In the Moroccan capital, Rabat, residents took to the streets on Friday to mark the holiday, where many demanded that the Moroccan government officially recognize the holiday, as did neighboring Algeria.
Formerly marginalized, the Amazighs, a word which means proud and free people, constitute an important component of Moroccan society.
Their language was recognized as an official language, alongside Arabic, in the 2011 constitution that the King of Morocco granted in the aftermath of the Arab Spring.