Marrakech Embraces Ramadan with Spiritual Fervor and Bustling Preparations

To allow the people of Marrakech to spend this month of Ramadan under good conditions, cleaning and maintenance work has been carried out on places of worship. The holy month is also an opportunity for the inhabitants of the ochre city to strengthen the spirit of solidarity and mutual aid. Households stock up in advance on food products and other ingredients necessary for the preparation of dishes for iftar (the meal to break the fast).

During this period, the tables are generally filled with a variety of dishes such as "chabakia", "briouates", "meloui", "harira" and "sellou", consumed with tea after the Tarawih prayer or at the time of suhoor, accompanied by milk. But the eating habits of Moroccans during the holy month have evolved, explains a local heritage researcher to the French newspaper Libération.

"In the past, the meals to break the fast were limited to essential dishes (harira, dates, eggs, honey...). Today, the Ramadan table is adorned with a wide variety of sweet and savory dishes and flavors. Between juices, pastries, salads, crepes, viennoiseries and sweets, the Ramadan table offers a broad overview of Moroccan cuisine, between tradition and modernity."

The expert also noted the disappearance of the Ramadan practices of "naffar" and "ghiyyat", which played melodies from the top of the minarets to announce the arrival of the holy month or roamed the streets of the city after the Tarawih prayer. He calls for the perpetuation of these rituals during Ramadan and for the reconciliation of tradition and modernity, because, he believes, these good practices are an integral part of the heritage of Moroccans.