Rabat - Several festivities have been held throughout Morocco in celebration of the Amazigh new year 2965 which corresponds to January 13.
The Amazigh new year, or Idd n Yennayer as it is called locally, marks the beginning of the crop year.
The Amazigh new year festivities, which have been celebrated for centuries throughout Norh Africa, mirror an attachment to the land in as far as the Amazigh calendar has been used to regulate the seasonal agricultural works.
On this occasion, several ceremonies have been held by Institutions and cultural associations in different Moroccan cities.
One of these ceremonies was held on Tuesday in Rabat by the Royal Institute for Amazigh Culture (IRCAM), an institute created in 2003 to promote Amazigh language and culture. The ceremony was an occasion to highlight aspects of the Amazigh cultural heritage and to celebrate the values of citizenship and the belonging to the homeland, Morocco.
It was also an occasion to express commitment to citizenship values as well as solidarity with the victims of the floods that ravaged several regions in southern Morocco.