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DvarTorah:No.African to Persia Trad'l Interfaith 24Hr Mixed Multitude Passover Wrap-Party:Mimouna! [1]
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Date: 2023-04-14
..like most timeless traditions, there are many theories behind [the origins of] Mimouna … [It’s] not only a feast, but a symbolic and spiritual event that marks the beginning of spring — a time full of [hope for abundance across the twelve months ahead]. Muslims took part in the celebration too, bringing milk and honey, hametz flours [see below] and couscous to their Jewish neighbors. Entire communities would come together, wishing [each other] mutual productivity and prosperity for the coming year. People traveled from house to house, tasting sweets and celebrating with their neighbors. [In Israel, Mimouna is so popular among people of all back-grounds that the next day is usually unpaid off from work ...to complete the full 24 hours of celebration.]...
Lalla Mimouna saint,* celebrated by the Jews of the
Maghreb, and known throughout the Maghreb, especially
in Morocco and Algeria. The [coastal town] of Lalla
Mimouna ... in the province of Kenitra in Morocco bears
[the saint’s] name. Jewish families in Tlemcen, Algeria,
celebrate Mimouna…
See below the following music videos and holiday paragraphs for stories of the saint* and recipe links!
* “saint” is a rough translation not meaning quite the same in English.
x YouTube Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBoTwm5Rfk8
Some related wik pages & others: ■ Berber Jews ■ Berbers[/Amazigh] (Barbary coast) ■ Moroccan Jews ■ Innov Gnawa “honors the strength of Moroccan national identity to transcend religious distinctions with a rare performance of the Jewish songbook of this ancient Moroccan musical tradition.” ■
Sprinkle your guests with mint! Irani and Afghani Passover traditions include Seder participants playfully smacking each other with scallions right before singing “Dayenu” — it represents masters whipping slaves in ancient Mitzrayim. Read down for the mint sprinkling:
..In many communities, non-Jewish neighbors sell
chametz back to Jewish families as a beginning of the
celebration: Mechirah: ... Until five twelfths of the way through Passover
Eve one may sell or give one's chametz to a non-Jew [as one
of the three ways of eliminating from the home all food
substances forbidden for these eight days]…. Afterward,
the non-Jew generally sells the chametz back to the original
owners; however, there is no obligation to do so. Moroccan and Algerian Jews throw open their homes …
setting out a lavish spread of traditional holiday
cakes and sweetmeats. One of the holiday favorites is
Mofletta. [ MOFLETTA
HOW-TO VIDEO AT THE END OF THIS DIARY .] The table is also laid with
various symbols of luck and
fertility, with an emphasis
on the number "5," such as
five pieces of gold jewelry
or five beans arranged on a
leaf of pastry. The
repetition of the number
five references the five-fingered
hamsa amulet common in both
Jewish and Muslim North African
and Middle Eastern communities
from pre-modern times. Typically, everyone at Mimouna celebrations is sprinkled
with a mint sprig or other
green dipped in milk,
symbolizing good fortune and
new beginnings. Early in the day of the Mimouna, families go to the
sea, splash water on their face, and walk barefoot in
the water, [re-enacting] the miraculous crossing of
the Reed Sea, which is held to have taken place on
the last day of Passover...
x YouTube Video
LALA Tamar "SHUFI FIYA" "شوفي فيّ" - Arabic/Hebrew - Gnawa/Sahraoui vibe - live session — Written and composed with great love and admiration to the Gnaoua cultureBased and inspired by the beautiful song, Ghzayel Meyel — “dedicated to the women to sing to each other with unconditional love — stay safe!” On April 5,2022 Morrocan & Israeli artists and consulates to the New England region celebrated Mimouna, dedicated in memory of Zohra El Fassia — Israeli-Moroccan singer and poet, first woman recording artist in Morocco and a pioneer of modern Arabic music — will feature musical performances by Grammy-nominated Samir LanGus (Morocco) and Itamar Borochov (Israel), as part of their collaboration on the Jewish Gnawa Project; a recording session from Agadir, Morocco, with singer Lala Tamar (Israel), and Mehdi Nassouli (Morocco); with a tribute to Jewish-Moroccan dances by Jackie Barzvi (U.S.), a Middle Eastern dancer and the creator of the Mizrachi Dance Archive. more info HERE
..Though [Mimouna] only began to be recorded in the middle of the 18th century...[7]
..its derivation and etymology are ancient. Possibl[y the name comes from]: "Rabbi Maimon ben Yosef" (father of the Rambam Maimonides) [perhaps to] mark the date of his birth or death;[7][8] the Hebrew word "emuna" (... אמונה … "faith") or "ma’amin" (... מאמין... "I believe");[7][8] the Arabic word for "wealth" or "good luck"[8] as [midrash says that] on this day … the gold and jewelry of the drowned [pursuing army of] Egyptians washed up on the shore of the
Red[Reed] Sea; … associated with "faith" and "belief" in immediate prosperity, as seen in its customs of matchmaking, and well-wishes for successful childbearing;[9]
manna, which was the food [by which God sustained the mixed multitude after the Exodus Exodus 12:38 in Parashat Bo — Ex. 10:1–13:16]…during ...wandering in the desert...[7]
Children in costume for Mimouna in France. Together with the food sharing from home to home, like shalach manot, this costume tradition suggests an echo of Purim on a few weeks earlier.
Recipes/Food! JIMENA emails notes that since most grains are forbidden during the week of Passover, and time to prepare for Mimouna is short, desserts for the feast are often made with marzipan, nuts and fruit. Moufleta (mentioned above) is of wheat flour but very fast! See musical moffleta recipe video at the foot of the diary. Naturally, if any charoset remains from the week (I make a huge amount, myself, but magically there is rarely any left over!) it will be enhanced for dessert-making, altho’ some North African recipes already include bananas, dates, pistachios and cardamom. More:
🍊■ myjewishlearning.com…Mimouna: A Delicious Way to Celebrate the End of Passover 🍊■ mjlearn... 8 Jewish Persian Dishes to Try, “From herbaceous kuku sabzi to comforting gondi, you'll love every one!” 🍊■ mjlearm... The Jewish cuisines of Morocco, Tunisia and Libya “are influenced not only by Jewish traditions, but also the Mediterranean and Arabic cultures that surround them. Meals are often centered around vegetables or fish and couscous, and spiced with aromatic spices like turmeric, ginger, hot peppers, cinnamon, paprika, saffron, caraway and cumin...” 🍊■ recipes from jewishfoodsociety.org 🍊■ Bimuelos/buñuelos, fried doughnuts originally from Spain with developed variations following expulsions of the Jews from Iberia, 1492 onward, such as baklava style, among others, at TasteOfHome.com where you’ll also find carciofi alla giudìa, a Jewish fried artichoke recipe that all denizens of Rome enjoy. Plus matzo pie with fillings of spinach and cheese (resembling spanikopita), or ground beef or lamb, other meats, seasonal spring vegetables like leeks, asparagus or artichokes, and for vegans with cashews, avocado and dairy-free shredded cheese. And more! 🍊 ■ recipes from marocmamma.com 🍊■ Tangerines! “The name was first used for fruit coming from Tangier, Morocco”[3] As Jewish feminists know, Dartmouth College Jewish studies professor Susanna Heschel (daughter of Abraham Joshua Heschel) originated the idea of an orange on the Seder plate to represent the fruitfulness of gay and lesbian Jews, directing celebrants to eat an orange wedge and spit out the seeds in repudiation of homophobia and misogny. It’s popular also to say it’s a feminist act, in defiance of men who say women belong in the rabbinate (& House, & Senate, & WhiteHouse!) like oranges belong on the seder plate. Ha! Instead of having a messy orange to cut up, a tangerine per person peels nicely, you lose none of the delicious juice to drips, and you still get to spit pits! Why not for Mimouna too. Chances are, it will be mostly women preparing the celebration, after all! :D 🍊■
x YouTube Video
SamirLangus (Morocco) who partners with Itamar Borochov (Israel) on the Jewish Gnawa Project.
LALLA MIMOUNA
[was an 8th century saint] celebrated by Moroccan Jews.
Émile Dermenghem tells an anecdote about her:
Abd al-Wahid b. Zayd wished to know who would be his
neighbor in paradise and he was told, "O 'Abdalwahid, you
will have for neighbor Mimoûna the black one".
And where is she, this Mimoûna the black, he continued
to ask with more audacity than discretion. At Banou-Un
Tel, in Koûfa.
He went to Koûfa and inquired about Mimoûna. It was,
she is told, a madwoman who grazed sheep on the side of
the cemetery.
He found her praying. The flock was grazing all by itself
and that was all the more wonderful because the sheep
were mixed with wolves and the wolves did not eat the
sheep and the sheep were not afraid of the wolves ...
Mechtaly [speaking of one of her paintings]:
.. the product of some personal research that sort of blew
mymind suggesting strong ties between Gnaoua,
Moroccan Mysticism and Judaism. Lalla Mimouna is a saint
often mentioned and revered by Gnaoua musicians.
Some tell the story of how she saved a slave by showing
up in the middle of the Sahara desert and offering him a
water canteen when he was about to die of thirst. The
slave, who was inspired by the sound of water in a leather
canteen, later created Gnaoua music and told others the
story of Mimouna, his savior.
Interestingly, Lalla Mimouna today is a small village in
the south of Morocco that was built around a water source
named after the saint. Mimouna is also a festive occasion
celebrated by Moroccan Jews at the end of Passover
where Muslim neighbors traditionally visit Jewish homes
carrying baked goods and leavened foods that aren’t
allowed in Jewish homes during Passover. The story of
Passover is a story of slavery, freedom, desert crossing
and miracles, very similar to that of Gnaoua.
What’s even more fascinating is that Gnaoua musicians
[visit] the village of Lalla Mimouna every year around the
time of Passover to pay their respect to Lalla Mimouna’s
spirit in a three day pilgrimage. Passover commemorates
the journey from spiritual slavery to spiritual freedom,
which is a central concept in Gnaoua music. I’m still doing
research on this topic because there’s a lot of overlap in
symbolism between the Gnaoua pilgrimage to Lalla
Mimouna and Passover[‘s exodus, so] I’m interested in
understanding the connection even deeper.
This next video is of a recent celebration organized by the Mimouna Association, a Moroccan non-profit originating in 2007 as a Muslim student-run club at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, to promote Jewish heritage and interfaith dialogue around the country.[2] "One of the founding principles of the Association is to reclaim the cultural diversity of Morocco through its history...”
x YouTube Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkKl68QNGOM
x YouTube Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ti-e2bY0mE
Musical Moufleta How-TO
x YouTube Video
[END]
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