Marrakech – The kick-off of the 13th edition of the Orange Blossom Moussem "Zahria of Marrakech" was given on Friday, in the presence of associative actors working in the field of heritage preservation, academics, researchers, and personalities from the world of culture and art.
Initiated by the Al-Muniya Association of Marrakech for the conservation and revival of Morocco's heritage, in partnership notably with the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication, the Marrakech Municipal Council, the Wilaya of the Region, the Regional Tourism Council (CRT), and the Moroccan National Tourism Office (ONMT), the "Zahria of Marrakech" aims to preserve this centuries-old tradition and introduce the public to the techniques of orange blossom distillation.
Speaking during the opening ceremony of this event, the President of the Al-Muniya Association, Jaâfar Kansoussi, paid a heartfelt tribute to the women who have perpetuated this ancestral tradition, ensuring the transmission of the secrets of this ritual to their daughters, emphasizing that the distillation of orange blossom returns every year to celebrate the arrival of spring (around March 21) by Marrakech families.
He noted that the Al-Muniya association ensures the involvement of schools and universities, cultural institutions, tourism actors, and civil society in the celebration of this Moussem, noting that the Zahria of Marrakech will also be celebrated in private homes at the initiative of the women members of the association.
Mr. Kansoussi also pointed out that the association has developed innovative cultural engineering to transform this family and private ceremony into a major public, cultural, and festive event in the city, with the aim of establishing a Moussem or a festival dedicated to the celebration of spring.
For his part, the President of the CRT of Marrakech-Safi, Hamid Bentahar, highlighted the importance and role of this Moussem in valuing one of the components of heritage carried by women, who have been able to transmit this tradition to their daughters from generation to generation, noting that this legacy helps to further strengthen social ties around the distillation of orange blossom with the advent of spring.
Mr. Bentahar indicated in this sense that this Moussem represents an ideal opportunity to highlight the innovative traditional cultural offerings of the Marrakech destination.
In a statement to MAP, Touria Araban, Secretary General of the Al-Muniya association, explained for her part that the tradition of orange blossom distillation has been perpetuated for centuries thanks to women, noting that the Zahria ceremony is a favorable occasion for the consolidation of social ties between people within the same family, and to renew the sense of belonging to the community.
The opening ceremony of this cultural event was marked by the organization of an initiation workshop to this ancestral tradition, led by Saadia Boufous, who presented the ancestral Moroccan method of orange blossom distillation, its various stages, and the instruments used.
On this occasion, the artist Souad Mediani presented, in the form of a tale, the history of orange blossom distillation in Marrakech.
The program of this cultural event, which continues until April 14, includes workshops presenting the orange blossom distillation ceremony, an artistic exhibition, a fair showcasing artisanal products from cooperatives, a procession of the orange blossom water offering to the mausoleum of Moulay Abdellah Ghazouani, the planting of bitter orange trees, and conferences focused in particular on the "present and future of the Medinas" and "the art of Malhoun and its fragrant gardens."
A tribute will also be paid to several figures, including Lalla Aicha Naoufal, an expert in traditional embroidery, the writer Rajae Benchemsi, and the master calligrapher Mohamed Badie Boussouni.
It should be noted that the "Zahria of Marrakech" has been inscribed since 2022 on the lists of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) as cultural heritage of the Islamic world.
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