Imilchil Festival

According to the Ait Hdiddou tribe, which consists of two parts the Yaazza Ait and Ait Brahim, the youth of the tribe organize a collective celebration of marriage at the end of every summer. The festivities start when the harvest is finished.

The story begins with two young people in love. Her name was Tilsit, his was Isli. They had been denied permission to be together because of the animosity between their respective tribes and subsequently they drowned themselves in the two lakes that still bare their names today. But their story did not end there. They were unable to unite in death, as the mountain that separates the two lakes also separates their spirits, leaving them to yearn for each other in death as they had in life. After this tragic event, families of the different tribes decided that both men and women would be able to choose their own life partner. With this cautionary tale in mind, all prospective newly weds are said to visit the tomb of a local holy man, who became famous for blessing successful marriages.

This is the story of Imilchil where an annual pilgrimage of young people in search of a partner occurs every year after the harvest in September, as they are normally cut off from the outside world during most of winter due to the snowfall.

The Berber word Imilchil, ''Imi n Lkil'' in Berber and "Foum El Kail'' in Arabic, mean "provision door", because the place of the moussem was formerly used as a trading market for certain agricultural products and crafts between the two slopes of the Atlas. The festival takes place amidst an enormous encampment, surrounded by the hills of this arid region.

This year will be the sixth festival. It is initiated by the Tarik Ibn Ziyad Center in partnership with the Province of Errachidia. It will be held on Friday and Saturday (September 25 and 26) with a rich and varied program, which intends to highlight the national musical heritage of the high mountains.

The organizers have divided the artistic arrangement of this edition into two evenings: the first will be dedicated to traditional folk, including the famous Ait Hdidou from the Boudari area of Talsint and the pretty bee dancing (Nahla) of Kelaat Mgouna.

On Saturday night, singer Hammou Aagouran from the Atlas, artist and composer Angmar from Tinghir, Moha Mallal from Ouarzazate, and the young Hamid Khammou of Goulmima will entertain modern Amazigh music fans.

The festival is a celebration of a rich cultural and artistic heritage. It allows the public to enjoy the authentic look of Moroccan folk art and it is a vehicle for promoting tourism in the region.

According to festival director, Mustapha Tilioua, this festival, launched in 2003, aims to revitalize the famous fetival, but it is now opening up to other cultural and artistic horizons.

He added that it is a cultural and artistic opportunity that contributes profoundly to the promotion and protection of the natural and cultural heritage of our country, making this region a destination for environmental and sustainable rural and cultural tourism.

Designed as part of the overall project for sustainable development with the participation of local people, the festival has also helped with the gradual building of a new economy in the region, contributing to laying the groundwork for development and the opening up of this mountainous area to other regions. It has become a true cross roads of cultures over the years.

The scene of the festival is awesome. Several hundred tents spreading as far as the eye can see, the movement of thousands of people everywhere, the noise and men and women in the finery, the music, the dance, the Fantasia and above all the visitors that come to enjoy all this, not only from different parts of Morocco but also different parts of the world.