Eid Al Mawlid Annabaoui/ Procession of candles, in Salé, whose creator is the Saadian Sultan Ahmed El Mansour Addahbi. History
HIBAPRESS-RABAT
The candle moussem of Moulay Abdallah Benhassoun, organized in Salé, under the High Patronage of HM King Mohammed VI and in commemoration of the feast of Eid Al Mawlid Annabaoui, constitutes an ancestral tradition and also testifies to the attachment of Moroccans to Islamic values and intangible cultural heritage. The organization of this event aims at intellectual enrichment, animation but also to root the love of God and the Prophet in the minds of Muslims and to participate in the education of the younger generations.
Indeed, the candle procession dates back to the reign of the Saadian Sultan Ahmed El Mansour Addahbi (1578-1603), who had been very impressed, during his stay in Turkey with his brother Abdelmalek Essaadi, by the festivities marking Eid Mawlid Annabaoui, particularly by the candle procession. He then decided to consecrate and promote this Ottoman tradition of Istanbul.
The first celebration of this procession in several Moroccan cities dates back to the year 986 AH.
The city of Fez made painted pennants, Marrakech made paper and Salé made wax and it is in this last city that this tradition continues, giving birth on the banks of Bouregreg, to this prestigious and picturesque Moussem of the candles of Sidi Abdellah Benhassoun, which generations have taken turns to revive every year.
Sultan Ahmed El Mansour Addahbi will charge the Sufi Sidi Abdellah Benhassoun (1515-1604) with ensuring the smooth running of this moussem, which subsequently became the preserve of his descendants.
Born in Fez in 920 h/1515, Sidi Abdellah Benhassoun Abou Mohamed Abdellah Ben Hassan Alkhaldi Al Hassani Al Idrissi, better known as Benhassoun, was a leading figure of his time. He had drawn and refined his knowledge from great ulama of Fez, such as Abdelouhad Al Ouencharissi and Abderrahmane Doukkali, two Imams and preachers of the Qaraouyine, or Abdallah Habti, sheikh of the Zaouia of Jbel Lach’hab, in the surroundings of Chefchaouen.
In the year 990 of the Hegira, the city of Salé organized its first Moussem of its kind, with a procession of candles in shimmering colors, the design and production of which by master craftsmen required finesse and originality.
Over the centuries, several families have succeeded one another in the manufacture of these candles, the most famous being those of Oubia since 450, the El Mir family, El Hoceini and Lamrnissi and the Chekroun family.
Currently, this mission is entrusted to the Belakbir family. One month a year, the maalems lock themselves in their workshop to work day and night. They make flowers, squares, diamonds, blue, red, green, yellow, white and black with wooden molds which, once glued, will form a mosaic on wooden structures representing minarets.
The candle moussem begins with the procession, organized after the Al Asr prayer, on the eve of Eid Al-Mawlid.
At the head of the procession walk the descendants of the mystic Sidi Abdellah Benhassoun, followed by the ulama and preachers, then come the candle bearers and the population.
Every year, this procession winds through the main arteries of the city of Salé, passing through Achouhada Square (Bab Bouhaja), to the mausoleum of Sidi Abdellah Benhassoun. This procession is followed in the evening by festivities marked in particular by the holding of a feast to which all participants and needy families are invited, the performance of the “candle dance” and the interpretation of songs from Andalusian music before proceeding to the ceremony of lighting the candles which will be accompanied by songs of the samaa and the madih.
Also on the agenda of this event are the organization of conferences, book exhibitions, workshops, exhibitions on Arabic calligraphy, book signing ceremonies, theater performances, visits to historical sites and monuments as well as circumcision operations for orphaned children.
