Ashura, the children's festival, incorporates memories of pagan rituals

Ashura has various meanings in the Muslim world, depending on whether you are Shia or Sunni.

For Shiites, Ashura commemorates the Battle of Karbala, where Hussein, the Prophet’s grandson, perished along with 72 members of his family, paving the way for the Umayyad caliphs. The annual pilgrimage to Kerbala is the occasion for brutal scenes in which the faithful whip each other until they bleed.

Nothing like this in the Sunni world.

In Morocco, it’s a festival of children, drums and the games of Zem-zem, where people water themselves (Zem-zem is the miraculous fountain that Allah conjured up in front of Agar and Ismaïl in the desert).

In the Atlas, there are rituals reminiscent of European carnivals, particularly those held in Switzerland and Germany, with people dressed in animal skins and wearing scary hats.

In Goulmima, it’s a very special celebration, “Oudayen n Taâchourt”, or “Ashura of the Jews” with carnival-like rituals.