What is achoura Morocco?

Achoura (or the English spelling, Ashura) is a holiday that occurs on the 10th day of Muharram–the first month of the Islamic calendar. In Morocco, a majority-Sunni country, Achoura is a day of happiness and celebration, and marks the day that Moses parted the Red Sea.

How is Ashura celebrated in Morocco?

In Morocco, Ashura is equated with joy and sharing of fakia and couscous dishes, as well as giving out money and sweets to children who go door to door in a tradition called Baba Ashur. It also includes lighting a bonfire and sharing moments of joy around it, and answering each other via percussion and drumming.

What do Achouras do?

Families traditionally gather together to have special meals and offer zakat or a tenth of their annual income to the poor. Street celebrations, bonfires, and fireworks are other common ways of celebrating. Trade, in toys and Taarija drums, is busy as the holiday gets closer.

Why do Moroccans celebrate Ashura?

Ashura, which is celebrated on the tenth day of Muharram across the Muslim world, and is particularly significant for Shia Muslims, for whom it is a day of mourning. Moroccans, however, embrace this day with cheerful remembrance of those who have died. It is a custom to pay visit to cemetery pray for the departed ones.

What is Ashura in Muharram?

Muharram and Ashura to the Muslims Muharram is a month of remembrance. Ashura, which literally means the “Tenth” in Arabic, refers to the tenth day of Muharram. It is well known because of historical significance and mourning for the Shahadat (martyrdom) of Ḥusayn ibn Ali, the grandson of Muhammad.

What is Ashura and why it is celebrated?

Fast. For Sunni Muslims, Ashura is a time for fasting to show gratitude for the victory God gave to Moses. It commemorates the day when Allah created a path in the Red Sea and saved Moses and his followers.

What is Asura in Islam?

ʿĀshūrāʾ, Muslim holy day observed on the 10th of Muḥarram, the first month of the Muslim calendar (Gregorian date variable). The term is derived from the Arabic word for the number ten.

What should I do the day of Ashura?

How to Observe Ashura

• Mourn. On this day, Shia Muslims wear mourning attire, while some make pilgrimages to the shrine in Karbala, Iraq.
• Fast. For Sunni Muslims, Ashura is a time for fasting to show gratitude for the victory God gave to Moses.
• Be tolerant.

What is Ashura Shia?

For Shia Muslims, Ashura is a solemn day of mourning the martyrdom of Hussein in 680 AD at Karbala in modern-day Iraq. It is marked with mourning rituals and passion plays re-enacting the martyrdom. Shia men and women dressed in black also parade through the streets slapping their chests and chanting.

How do people celebrate Ashura in Morocco?

In some areas, children follow the tradition of baba ashur, going door to door to collect handouts of dried fruit, sweets, or money. Moroccan drums (taarija) and tambourines for Ashura. Photo: Christine Benlafquih | Taste of Maroc Following the collection of pocket change, some kids will buy single eggs to throw at friends.

What foods are associated with Ashura in Morocco?

Certain Moroccan food traditions are connected to Ashura. Krichlate, a bite-sized cookie, is famously served on Ashura alongside dried fruits, nuts and sometimes other sweets in a presentation referred to as fakia.

Why do Moroccans splash water on Ashura?

These traditions are believed to be influenced by Moroccan Jewish observances connected to Yom Kippur, when water, too, is regarded as holy and might be used to bless one’s family and personal belongings. Unfortunately, water splashing and other pranks on Ashura can take a nasty turn.

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