It arrived a weekend later than planned, partly because of 1 May, and partly because the late winter frost had delayed the flowering. The weather was fine, it was warm and it was the local festival.
Moussem des Roses 2009
Different floats, but still the “queens” in their costume from the Valley of the Roses, with their many-coloured headdresses topped off with black wigs and brightly-coloured woollen ribbons.
The very last fields had not yet been harvested.
Along the road, children were selling necklaces of flowers and hearts of roses formed on a light wire.
The moussem takes place over three days, but the most interesting day to see is Saturday.
The morning is devoted to tradition, with a parade of different groups from the region, including the bee dance from Kelaat M'Gouna, and the sabre dance, from Zagora.
After a long lunch break in one of the kasbahs overlooking the rose valley, enjoying the shade of the Berber tents and the refreshing breeze, we set off again into the crowded streets.
The whole region comes to Kelaat, the moussem is much more than a parade, it’s also a fair, a meeting, a celebration…
Between the small stalls where the women sell one or two scarves and trinkets, and the large stalls where you can find everything you need to make couscous, wash up, or do some farming that I’d be hard pressed to understand, the streets, emptied of traffic, are in reality almost impassable.
And in the evenings, it’s the modernised music that invades the spaces. Young people from the region, and those who have come from further afield, dance the night away.
Before returning to pick the last roses the following day. And spend a year with the scent of Rosa Damascena…
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