Real, Charming and Strange Secrets of the Moroccan Culture

Real, Charming and Strange Secrets of the Moroccan Culture

Visiting a country is not all about sightseeing, enjoying the nature and chilling in great hotels and spas. It is also about understanding more about the local culture and learning about it as much as possible.  If you are lucky to visit Morocco, the Moroccan culture is really one interesting culture to discover.

Moroccan people are internationally known for being very friendly and obliging. They can do whatever it takes to help you find your route if you are lost, give you tips and information to make your trip unforgettable, or just chat and know more about you.

Morocco remains an open country that loves diversity. Being an Islamic country (the constitution clearly states that Islam is the official religion for Moroccans), it is important to understand the impact it has on Moroccan culture, traditions, and local’s everyday life.

Moroccan Culture: Religion, People, Dating, and Food

Ready to know more about the Moroccan culture? Here are practical information and guidelines to help you plan your trip wisely, know what to expect and learn more about how to be respectful to Moroccan local culture.

Morocco Religion

As I mentioned earlier, Morocco Religion is Islam, having a great impact on the locals’ lifestyle.

The Islamic calendar follows a lunar pattern which is different from the western calendar, and because of that, religious celebrations dates change every year. Consequently, if you are planning on visiting Morocco, it is important to check if your scheduled dates will meet some religious celebrations.

Another important thing to remember is that celebrations dates are based on a lunar calendar, so the exact date won’t be official until one or two days before the actual date. I will give you at the end of this section a summary of all the religious dates, but always use an interval of more or less 2 days when planning your trip.

While visiting Morocco during these celebrations can be very inspiring and can make you explore a deeper level of Moroccan culture, if it is your first trip to Morocco, I would recommend making your visit outside these religious celebrations to make sure the changes in locals’ rhythm doesn’t impact your trip.

• Ramadan

Ramadan is a month-long religious celebration held each year in all Islamic countries, among which Morocco.

Ramadan is dedicated to fasting from sunrise to sunset and focusing on spiritual and religious matters. Food, drinks, tobacco, and sexual thoughts are prohibited during fasting, making a deep impact on everyday life.

In fact, before sunset, most restaurants and cafés will be closed during Ramadan and beaches will be mostly empty as they are associated with nudity. Besides, as fasting can be a little bit tiring, Moroccans will prefer staying at home, praying and resting.

Corporate schedules also adapt to Ramadan rhythm and change from a classic 8am-6pm with lunch-break to an 8am-3pm without interruption.

After the sunset, the streets will start reviving as Moroccans will head up to the mosque to pray Tarawihe, a daily Ramadan prayer which can last for hours.

As you can imagine, Ramadan imposes a different rhythm to Moroccans lifestyle, so you might not be able to try some restaurants, for example, however, sightseeing and shopping before sunset will still be possible.

 

• Eid Al Fitr

Eid Al Fitr is a religious celebration taking place on the day following the last day of Ramadan. Eid Al Fitr literally means ‘celebration of eating’. In fact, while Ramadan is all about fasting, Eid Al Fitr, is all about eating and enjoying life and food pleasures. Traditional Moroccan dishes, raisins, almonds, and pastries usually won’t leave Moroccan tables for the whole day. As Moroccans often celebrate Eid Al Fitr with relatives (visiting family is very encouraged by Islam), Moroccans often take 3 days off to rest and visit family members they haven’t seen in a long time.

During Eid Al Fitr, each family must give a donation to someone in need, called Fatra. It can be either by giving a certain amount of money or giving a certain quantity of wheat grains like it was done back in the old days.

 

• Eid Al Adha

This is a celebration that is hated by all vegans around the world. In Islam, each Moroccan man who is married must sacrifice a sheep once a year. And this is what Eid Al Adha is about.

The celebration lasts for a week or so, and again, as it is a family celebration, people spend most of their time in their homes eating, visiting family members and eating. They have a sheep to finish remember?

But the most important thing about Eid Al Adha is that it represents sharing and generosity. In fact, according to Islam, a third of the sheep meat must be donated to a family in need, and many Moroccans donate more than that.

It can be very inconvenient to visit Morocco during this period. To give you an example, before Eid Al Adha, most families (mine included) always make sure they stock their fridges with everything they will be needing for a week (fruits, vegetables, milk, fish, etc.) as they know all markets will be closed during that period.

 

Moroccan People

When you travel to Morocco, Moroccan people are very interesting to watch and talk to. Watch Moroccan people interactions and you will see another aspect of the Moroccan culture.

Two same-sex Moroccans will great each other with a handshake quickly followed by a kiss in each cheek, starting from the left. If the two persons are really happy to meet, the greeting will start with a hug, followed by as many kisses as one likes. When I visit my father’s family near Fez, they are always super happy to see me. Each time, I get impressed (and glad) by the number of kisses and hugs I get.

When greetings concern two people of opposite sexes, it can go as far as a handshake. In fact, in this case, kissing or hugging is not possible unless the person greeted is a close family member. Besides, some Moroccans can be very strict with religion and think that handshaking with an opposite-sex person is a sin. That is why there will usually be a small waiting time to see if both people are okay with shaking hands. If one starts verbal greetings immediately, it means shaking hand is not an option.

Greeting verbally is another interesting thing about Moroccan culture. Once the handshaking, hugging, and kisses are done, each person will ask a flow of questions, about health, family (they can ask for each member of the family) and future plans. A way to show that they really care about each other. For some cultures that can feel a little bit intrusive. I lived in France for years, and the greetings never went further than the formal bonjour, comment allez-vous? In Morocco, it’s a whole other level. It’s warm and caring and I love that!

Moroccan dress code

Morocco is a conservative country where showing a lot of skin for women is not accepted, but it doesn’t mean that women need to cover up entirely. Headscarves, for example, are not mandatory and wearing a basic sleeveless shirt or a midi skirt is totally possible. However, showing a lot of skin, decolletage or curves is not very respectful to local culture.

The way you dress in Morocco can really impact your experience. You don’t need an extra budget to buy new clothes as you probably already have all the essential in your wardrobe. If you are looking for a simple guide and inspiration, check my post about what to wear in Morocco for women and men.

 

Drinking Alcohol in Morocco

Because Morocco is an Islamic country, drinking alcohol in Morocco is illegal, and as a matter of fact, there is no drinking age. Well before you close this tab and run, let me give you the whole picture. In fact, maybe you are now thinking that because of what I just said, no Moroccan ever approached alcohol. Well, that is not the case and this is one of Morocco cultural contradictions.

In fact, many Moroccans (men and women) drink alcohol and some progressive cities, like Marrakesh and Agadir, are known internationally for their loose nightlife. However, drinking alcohol remains taboo in the Moroccan society. That is why most of the places where you can drink alcohol will either be located in places with a low concentration of locals (touristic and fancy restaurants, cafés or hotels) or have smoked glass to protect clients private life.

If you are looking for bars or nightclubs, there are different types and each bar/nightclub will have it’s own ambiance. The first kinds are the bars where locals go, mostly Moroccan men in their mid forties or older. These bars are often isolated and it’s hard to find them, and they are rarely joyful. They are more like those places where you go to drown you sorrow. The good side is that alcohol will be super super cheap (around 1$ a beer).

If you prefer happier places, head to touristic or fancy hotels or select nightclubs. The ambiance will be more festive, with a great music playlist and a stunning decor . The prices will probably be aligned with the euro and dollar currencies (up to 10$ a beer), but you will enjoy your time a 100%.

If you want to buy alcohol in Morocco, most Moroccan supermarkets will sell alcohol (crazy right?). You will only have to look for it in the supermarket as it will never be clearly displayed. So either look in the supermarket backgrounds or just ask the reception.

Oh, and last but not least, never show your alcohol bottles in public. Always have them hidden in an opaque bag. And never show drunk in public!

 

Tipping in Morocco

Knowing how to tip in Morocco is very important and can also impact your experience, especially if you don’t know the rules. And that is when it gets a little bit tricky, even for locals believe me! But don’t worry, I am here to help you out.

First, make sure you read my article about safety in Morocco and how to react to some locals behaviors. Second, always have money change on you. The best is to have a combination of 1-dirham piece (around 0.1 $), 5-dirhams piece (around 0.5 $) and 10-dirhams piece (around 1$) to be able to tip precisely. Let’s say you want to tip someone 5 dirhams, but the only change you have is 10 dirhams. It is highly possible that the person you give the 10-dirhams to will take all the money and go (It happened to me many many times). So always have change on you.

 

 

 

Besides, know that most acceptable tips go from 5 dirhams (0,5$) to 100 dirhams (10$) depending on the service provided and how hard the task was.

Another thing to keep in mind is that sometimes, some Moroccans might offer to help you with something, like carry your luggage or accompany you to your hotel if you get lost. In these cases, know it is very likely that the person offering the service will be waiting for your tipping once the service provided.  In case you don’t want to tip, just decline the offer by saying ‘’“La, shoukrane” (“No, thank you”).

Moroccan Food and Social Events

Moroccans love inviting people they like to share a meal or something as casual as a traditional Moroccan mint tea with pastries. And if you are lucky to get invited to a Moroccan house, you are more likely to see authentic and pure Moroccan generosity.

In Morocco, It is considered polite to bring something to the hosts. Traditionally, Moroccan people used to bring boxes of milk or sugar as these two ingredients are, in Moroccan culture, symbols of prosperity. While this is still the case for some special events like marriage celebrations, bringing traditional Moroccan pastries and candies to the children will perfectly do the job. But don’t bring wine, unless you know your host drinks.

Before eating, you might be handed a wash basin to wash your hands: simply hold your hands over it while a kettle will pour water. Once finished, dry your hands on the towel provided.

 

Moroccans eat from the same big plate which they put in the center of the table. They also eat with their hands, but always from the triangle of food immediately in front of them. In fact, it is considered impolite to get the food in front of someone else. And if you don’t know how to eat with your hands, simply ask for a fork or spoon.

Moroccans will be very generous and will feed you from the beginning till the end. If they see you are not eating enough, they will insist and get confused, thinking you didn’t like the food. They can even cook an additional dish to make sure you eat well.

My advice would be to make sure you are hungry enough before heading to your host’s address, to be able to enjoy all the Traditional Moroccan food they will happily prepare for you. If you get full and they keep insisting you continue eating, just smile, pat your stomach and shake your head while saying “La, shoukrane” (“No, thank you”). They might still push you to eat after that, and that is how generous and caring Moroccans are.