The Feast of the Lamb

Morocco is a country where the past and present live together in close harmony; where a still very much alive yesterday lends added lustre to living today. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the way Moroccans love to take part in the rituals of their past, in the observance of their great religious festivals, for example. The starting point is Achoura, a once dark pagan rite, now known as the Festival of the Children, celebrated with particular zest in Marrakech. Mouloud marks the Festival of the Birthday of the Prophet. Ramadan, the month-long fast when religious fervour is at its height, is followed by the climax of the Moslem year, the Aid el Kebir, the Great Festival which commemorates the Prophet Abraham’s sacrifice of a sheep in place of his son.