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Yennayer (ⵢⵏⵏⴰⵢⵔ), the Amazigh New year, is a traditional Amazigh holiday, celebrated every year, between 12 and 14 January, depending on the regions. It is mostly a pleasant family time, around a festive meal, with pastries and sweets. This year, Yennayer will be celebrated for the first time in Morocco as an official holiday!
Etymology
Yennayer (ⵢⵏⵏⴰⵢⵔ) is both the holiday, and the first month in the Amazigh year. One theory says the term is composed of yan (the number one) and ayyur (month); but it is more likely a deformation of the month of January, januarius in Latin.
The Amazigh calendar
The Amazigh calendar predates Islam. It is a solar calendar, probably derived from the Julian calendar, which was in use during the Roman area; but it might be inspired from an older traditional calendar. We know very little about the names of months and seasons.
The Amazigh used it for the seasonal cycle. With the advent of Islam, they adopted the Islamic lunar calendar for religious holidays, while still keeping their own calendar, which was more useful for agriculture. The Tuareg of the Sahara still use a double solar and lunar calendar today.
The modern Amazigh calendar was developed by the Amazigh Algerian writer Ammar Negadi, one of the founders of the Berber Academy (Agraw n imaziɣen ⴰⴳⵔⴰⵡ ⵉⵎⴰⵣⵉⵖⵏ). He based his calendar on the Julian calendar, which starts 13 days before the Gregorian calendar, our modern-day calendar. Because of this, the first day of the Amazigh year is the 14 January. However, the traditional Yennayer date varies depending on the regions, from 12 to 14 January.
The Amazigh calendar originally didn’t have a staring point (no “year 0”). Ammar Negadi chose the (approximate) date of the crowning of Sheshonq I, the first Egyptian Pharao with Libyan Amazigh origins. This king, who is mentioned in the Bible as Shishak, later invaded the Kingdom of Israel and pillaged the Temple of Jerusalem. The biblical mention of invasion Sheshonq’s invasion could be the oldest written reference to the Amazigh.
The Amazigh calendar starts in 950 BCE of the Gregorian calendar, so the year 2024 corresponds to the year 2974 of the Amazigh calendar.
Yennayer yesterday and today
The Yennayer tradition goes back to pre-Roman Antiquity. This holiday marks the the time when the sun starts rising earlier, after the winter solstice, when days start getting longer again. It symbolises longevity, time going on and on.
In the Middle Age, Yennayer was celebrated all the way to Andalusia. The Arab-Andalusian poet Ibn Quzman wrote poems describing the delicious products that could be found on the market in Cordoba for this holiday: brioches, gazelle horns, fresh and dry fruit, sweets, etc.
Meals on Yennayer eve are traditionally quite frugal: berkuks, wheat and milk, dry water-cooked vegetables, etc. People prepare the house, cleaning it and embalming it with various herbs and tree branches. On the next morning, they share a hearty meal, often made of poultry that has been sacrificed for the occasion: couscous in Kabylie and the Aures, rfissa in the Souss. Children dress up and go around houses to ask for beignets.
Yennayer often goes together with family events: first haircut for little boys, first time when children pick fruits and vegetables themselves, etc. Weddings celebrated at Yennayer are supposed to bring happiness; little girls even marry their dolls.
And what about the holiday’s recognition by North African States? In Algeria, Yennayer is an official holiday since 2018, celebrated on 12 January. In Morocco, it was declared a public holiday in 2023 and will now be celebrated for the first time this year, on 14 January. In the other countries of the region, it isn’t an official holiday yet.
Happy Yennayer !!!
ⴰⵙⴳⴳⵯⴰⵙ ⴰⵎⴰⵣⵉⵖ ⴰⵎⴰⵢⵏⵓ ⴰⵏⴰⵎⵎⴰⵔ, ⴰⵙⴳⴳⵯⴰⵙ ⵉⵖⵓⴷⴰⵏ
سنة امازيغية سعيدة وبهية
