Happy Yennayer, Amazigh New Year!
Dear colleagues and friends,
Canada’s population comes from all regions of the world. To encourage you to explore our country’s rich diversity, each month we highlight one important date, event, festival or celebration. This month, we are pleased to highlight Yennayer, which falls on January 12, 2025.
Yennayer is celebrated by the Berber (Amazigh) people, an ethnic group indigenous to North Africa, primarily inhabiting the Maghreb. The word Yennayer means ‘first month’ - it is a compound Berber word of ‘Yenn’ which means one or first and ‘Ayur’ which means month. The first day of the Amazigh year is celebrated on the 12th of January each year, according to the Gregorian calendar and marks the beginning of the crop year.
The Berber calendar was created in 1980 by Ammar Negadi, a Paris-based Algerian scholar. He chose the year in which Berber King Meshwesh Shoshenq I ascended to the throne of Egypt, as the first year of the Berber calendar. The Amazigh follows the Julian calendar, meaning that on January 12, the Amazigh community will be welcoming the year….2975!
Yennayer symbolizes longevity, and the Berbers believe that people who celebrate the New Year will enjoy a fruitful and prosperous year. Celebrations vary for this event, but most common is preparing and serving various celebratory dishes, including a traditional stew known as "ourkimen," couscous, and mint tea. The Amazigh feast is linked to agriculture, and meal rites are performed in a symbolic manner that aims to eliminate famine, and to welcome the positive forces.
On January 12, you may wish your colleagues and friends from the Amazigh community, Happy Yennayer or Assegaz Amegaz!.
If you would like that we highlight a cultural event to create awareness about the rich cultural diversity of Canada, please do not hesitate to write to me. That way, we all learn about each other, to promote mutual understanding, respect and collaboration.
Stay safe, stay well!
Respectfully,
Waheed Khan
President, National Consultation Team