Celebration

January 12 back home is the first day of new year in the Berber calendar. It’s called Yennayer and it’s been a public holiday since 2018. Each year, on the night of January 11, my family gathers in my parents’ home, and we spend the whole night together to celebrate Yennayer. I am a member of the Kabyle tribe and one of our special foods for this celebration is couscous and chicken. We also like singing or telling stories and we wear traditional clothes like Kabyle dress (Thaksiwth) for the ladies and hooded woolen robes (Burnous) for men.

My favorite Yennayer is the one organised outside the city at our second home in the countryside which is surrounded by forests and mountains. It’s the home of my parents. This day was my favorite because my whole family were gathered together: my mother, my brother, my sisters and nephews and my cousins who lived around the home. We spend the whole night together telling stories or playing games with our traditional clothes and eating the delicious couscous made by my mother. I would like to celebrate this celebration again in the future with my family.