Algerians celebrate Amazigh New Year
2008-01-14
The Amazigh New Year on January 12th was celebrated with events as diverse as the many Amazigh communities across Algeria. Festivities for "Yennayer" were held even in non-Amazigh regions and Algiers offered cultural events. With the widening popularity of the New Year festival, Amazigh activists hope to see January 12th recognised as an official holiday in Algeria.
By Said Jameh for Magharebia in Algiers – 14/01/08
 [File] Some Algerians have called for the Amazigh New Year to be made into an official holiday |
The Amazigh people of Algeria celebrated New Year 2598 on January 12th with traditional festivities, special food and parties reflecting their cultural heritage and ethnic pride. The annual event, known as "Yennayer", marks the beginning of the new farming year.
The origin of the celebration is unclear. Some think that the Amazigh calendar dates back to the victory achieved by Amazigh King Chachnaq against the Pharaohs in a battle fought on the banks of Nile in 950 BC. Rachid Malika says in his book "The Early Berbers between the Mediterranean Tassili and the Nile" that after defeating the Pharoahs, the Berber king announced the birth of the 23rd Berber dynasty and thus began the Amazigh calendar.
Today, Algeria celebrates the Amazigh New Year by holding festivities that differ from one region to another. In the predominantly Amazigh province of Kabylia, many children wear ornamental henna tattoos and families prepare traditional dishes, such as couscous with the meat of a home-slaughtered rooster. To mark the occasion, circumcisions may also be performed. These celebrations symbolise the relation between man and nature, according to Said Bouterfa, a specialist in Amazigh traditions.
The Amazigh of the Algerian desert, known as the Touareg, celebrated the day with their unique music, dance and traditional dishes. Researcher Badi Dida explained that the Touareg people maintain Yennayer customs to commemorate an historical milestone.
Another Amazigh community, the Chenoua (named after the Chenoua Mountains in Tipasa province), celebrates by preparing special bread using herbs collected from the wilderness.
Some non-Amazigh regions of Algeria also join in the New Year's events. In the western city of Tlemcen, birthplace of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, young and old celebrate Yennayer together. Directly after sunset prayers, family members have dinner and exchange gifts. Tlemcen children await a visit from "Yennayer Woman", who goes around by night from house to house bringing candy and presents.
To highlight Algeria's cultural diversity, events and seminars were offered in the capital to mark the occasion of Yennayer. The Algiers Centre for Culture and Arts, for example, organised traditional industry exhibitions and music concerts featuring artists from Amazigh regions.
Beyond its festive and historical significance to the Amazigh people, the New Year is taking on a political element. Some activists in the Amazigh Movement want to include January 12th each year as one of the eids. They are campaigning to make Yennayer an official holiday like the Muslim New Year.
Voices have been calling for making Yennayer an official holiday since 2001, when confrontations between citizens and security forces in the Kabylia region left 127 protestors dead. Those events calmed when the government officially recognised the Amazigh language.
In a statement made on January 12th, the head of the National Consultative Commission for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights asked the government to make Yennayer an official holiday. Farouk Ksentini said the move would contribute to national solidarity.
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Ramdane Posted 2008-01-14
It is not just some folks who are asking Yennayer to become a national holiday, but all the Amazigh people as well as a good part of the Arabic-speakers.
Omar Posted 2008-01-16
BOUTEFLIKA, Abdelaziz (Algeria) Born on the 2nd of March 1937 in Oujda (Morocco) to a family from Tlemcen, an important town in the western part of Algeria, Abdelaziz Bouteflika joined the National Liberation Army (ALN) in 1956 and was given the nom de guerre of Si Abdelkader, which remained his nickname together with another one, the Moroccan, which refers to his birthplace.
Rabeh Posted 2008-01-17
Bouteflika was born in Oujda (Morocco) not in Tlemcen.For the rest I agree that there should be some holidays that relate to the original people of the Maghreb.
bendz Posted 2008-01-19
Asrah: We celebrated Yannayer on the eve of January 4, 2008 with couscous and market-butchered chicken. Each child had their own sac of candy, almonds, cashews and dried fruit. We opened the sacs at midnight like our parents once did, and, this day became holy. We then returned to France on January 5.
Anonymous Posted 2008-02-29
Thank you for everything you did, thank you.
ةمجهول Posted 2008-07-20
There is nothing wrong with the Algerians' celebration of the Amazigh new year.
rachid Posted 2008-08-29
Hi Kabylie! My name is Rachid. I am from Canada. I sending you a big “Hi!” and I wish you the best of luck. Long live Algeria!
ali Posted 2008-10-24
I am sure that in the long run, Amazigh will always be the frontline winner. In the end, long live Amazigh!
alg Posted 2008-12-24
I agree with you. We must celebrate this occasion because in this way we maintain our origins. Returning to origins is a virtue. I am proud to be an Arab Muslim woman of Amazigh origins. Isn’t this right sons of my country?
صبرينة Posted 2009-01-08
I send my greetings to all the Kabyles, especially those located in Algeria. I am Kabyle, so I am cheering on all the Kabyles, I tell them that we are strong and powerful. Long live the Kabyles!!! Have a happy new year in 2009!
LILA Posted 2009-01-09
I am quite astonished at all those people who celebrate the Amazigh year. But on the other hand, they don’t recognize Tamazight as an official language.
AMAR Posted 2009-01-12
Amazigh Algeria!
youcef Posted 2009-01-14
My brother, it seems that everyone talks abouts matters to which no consideration was given. We are Amazigh arabized by Islam as it was said by Cheikh Abdelhamid Ben Badis. We haven't heard anyone of those who pretend to be Amazigh talking about the origin of his tribe or to which tribe he belongs. They just talk about being tribes which is a colonisation word which didn't exist before colonisation. Moreover, the issue of the relationship between Amazigh and Arabs is an old issue. It is high time to talk according to reality. We are citizens in a state and it doesn't matter to be of Amazigh or Arab origins. We are citizens in this country no matter what are its origins.
tiger_ of berber Posted 2009-01-15
Youssef, it is the expression « Move on and let bygones be bygones » which has left us today entangled in the research for the identity. I conclude from this that you are Arab and not Berber. Unfortunately, I don’t appreciate your opinion. I am not honoured to be Arab, forbid the prophet and his family and companions. I am of Berber origins. What is the problem if I say I am Amazigh and Muslim??? Anyway, so you are not Amazigh, you have therefore to read about Amazigh civilization and Arab civilization then compare them even if I know there is no Arab civilization. There is an Islamic civilization. This is just a comparison. This is my advice to you. When you want to talk about Amazigh people, you must be sure of what you are saying. Thank you.
شرشـــــم 31 Posted 2009-01-17
Celebrating Yennayar is a tradition we inherited from our grandfathers. It is part of the heritage which cannot be removed from our history. The oddest thing is that it hasn’t faded away despite the cohabitation of the Amazigh civilization with the Islamic civilization and even the French colonizer. The truth is that it is a nice and distinct tradition of the Algerian society both the Amazigh and non Amazigh or rather the Arabized Amazigh. So, we in the region of the West celebrate it just as Algerian even if I am of Arab origins. By God, I think that we should look for things which unite us and unite our joy as Algerians: Arabs or Amazighs, Muslims or Christians…since this doesn’t damage the principles of anyone.
مريم Posted 2009-03-05
I recognize Kabyle virility.
df Posted 2009-04-26
The Kabyles think they are the only Berbers. They have forgotten the Chaouis.
الملك ماسينيسا Posted 2009-05-06
I am Amazigh. Ask the land, ask rivers and mountains. Don't bury my identity. No matter what you do, I am free and I will remain so. I am Amazigh. My blood, my words and solid architecture are my evidence. I am Amazigh. Long live the Amazigh North Africa. The history of Amazigh people is thousands of years, more ancient than Arabs. Stop lying, falsification and distortion of historical facts Arabs.
siham Posted 2009-05-16
i do not know why the berbers celebrate this occasion? why if the origin of yanayer is unknown
نبيل Posted 2009-08-30
Do residents of Djijel celebrate Yennayer or not?
hakim59100 Posted 2009-11-10
We are all Kanaanians. Amazighs and Arabs came from Yemen to North Africa. The most important thing is that we are the descendants of Adam, peace be upon him.
zoubir Posted 2009-11-12
I am from Aouras. I am not from Najd or Aleppo. My grandparents were Amazigh. They were never Arabs. We were Arabized by Islam in person and religion. As it has Arabized us, we accepted this. Those who cast doubt about the Amazigh identity and nationality just want to hide the verses of God, limit the power of God the Almighty unknowingly. The difference of languages and races is one of the verses of God. May God guide you for the good.
خالد ابوساق Posted 2009-12-27
I am Khaled from Yefren Libya. Happy New Year, Amazigh people!
العربي Posted 27 days ago
Even Bouteflika is Amazigh. People who speak Amazigh language as a mother tongue constitute about 40 to 50% of the overall population whose number has reached 35 million, according to statistics from January 2006. The Amazigh language is spread in Algeria in many regions mainly: - the region of Kabylie where the Kabylie dialect is spread in the north of Algeria. The number of Amazigh-speaking people is 07 million in Kabylie region which includes provinces of El Bouira, Tizi Ouzou, Bejaia, Boumerdes, part of the province of Setif, Bordj Bouarirej, El Blida, El Media and Algiers since the last provinces are on the border with Tizi Ouzou and Bejaia. Moreover, 70% of the province of Algiers are Amazigh. - region of Chaouiya: in the region, Chaoui dialect is spoken in Algiers which is also spoken in Tunisia. About 5 million people speak it in the provinces of Batna, Khenchela, Oum Al Baouaki in general, part of Biskra, Tibessa, Souk Ahras, Kalma, Setif as well as Costantine and EL Kasrine (Tunisia) as an extension to its branches. - Benou Mezab: The Mouzabite language is mainly focused in the province of Ghardaia (Tagherdaite) on the red line between the north and south, it is the geographical network called: Oued Mezab. The number of people speaking Mouzabite is about 300.000 people. - Touareg: the Touareg dialect is spoken by Touaregs who prefer the name “Tamajight” by substituting the word z with a j. Touaregs are present mainly in the provinces of Tamanrasset, Elisi, Adrar and Béchar. The number of people who speak it are about a million and half a million. Touaregs also live in Libya, Mali, Niger and even Bourkina Faso. Chenaouiya: this dialect is spoken in the mountains of Chnaoua in the province of Tipaza. The number of its inhabitants is about 600000. - Chelha: in the province of Tlemcen on Algerian-Moroccan borders. It is used in Beni Boussaid. The number of speakers of the language is about 13000 people. The origin of Amazigh people in the region are from the tribe of Zenata. - Amazigh of Takerkarte: they live near Ourgla, Tougrte and Nekoussa. The number of its users is unlimited. In Algeria, there are many arabized Amazigh regions. These regions use many words.
امازغية Posted 18 days ago
I am a student from the province of Bejaia. In our region, we consider for four years now January 12, a holiday. All schooling institutes are closed. As for universities, they are open. But students often agree not to come to study. Thank you for this information. Wish you more success God willing.
samira Posted 18 days ago
I am proud to be Kabyle. Today will not be the day that the Arabs come and tell us that we have no roots. On the contrary, through our young people, this nation and language will remain and will reign forever.
AZROU Posted 17 days ago
My name is Azrou. I am from Morocco. I am Amazigh. I am proud of my sacred race.
beachboy Posted 15 days ago
happy new year from UAE to all amazigh in this world ,
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