Yennayer

What it is

Yennayer is the name of the first month of the Julian calendar; among the Amazigh of Morocco the start of the year is also called “Haggus”¹. It is celebrated for two to four days, with hardly any difference between Arabic and Amazigh speakers².

Originally the festival marked the start of an agricultural calendar³. For their field work, farmers follow the Julian calendar, whose dates lie 13 days behind the Gregorian ones⁴.

Where it comes from

The name goes back to the Latin Ianuarius, January⁵. In Moroccan Arabic, yennayer simply means “January”⁶.

History

The decision of King Mohammed VI أيده الله (may Allah assist him) to make 14 January a paid public holiday as the Amazigh New Year was announced on 3 May 2023⁷. In January 2025 the day was observed as a public holiday for the second year in a row⁸.

When

Yennayer falls on 14 January⁹. In Agadir the programme for the year 2975 ran from 10 to 17 January 2025, with performances of Raïs and Ahwach, stands for tasting Amazigh dishes and the show “Tanggift” on Amazigh wedding customs¹⁰.

In Khénifra in 2026, the year 2976 was marked with poetry, music, communal dances and traditional performances by local and regional troupes¹¹.

How to recognise it

On the eve, according to the encyclopaedia of the Amazigh, berkoukes is often cooked instead of couscous, and in many towns and villages of Morocco there is the dish of “seven vegetables”¹². Harrell records ḥagguza, a hot porridge of cracked wheat and milk; the time in January when it is cooked has the same name¹³.

Each town has its own dishes: in Agadir people eat taglla made of maize with honey and argan oil, in Marrakesh rfissa and couscous with chicken, in Tafraout dishes with amlou and in Nador “baddaz” made of barley flour with olive oil¹⁴.