Yennayer

Yennayer (ينّاير) is the first month of the Berber calendar. The first day of Yennayer corresponds to the first day of January in the Julian Calendar, which is shifted thirteen days compared to the Gregorian calendar, thus falling on 12 January every year. The Berber calendar was created in 1980 by Ammar Negadi, a Paris-based Algerian scholar. He chose 943 BC, the year in which the Meshwesh Shoshenq I ascended to the throne of Egypt, as the first year of the Berber calendar.

There is some debate about the traditional date of Yennayer, with some cultural associations advocating for its celebration on the evening of 13 January, which is widespread in Morocco, Algeria, Libya, and the Canary Islands.

On 27 December 2017, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika officially recognized Yennayer as a public holiday to be celebrated on 12 January every year. The first official celebration of Yennayer as a public holiday in Algeria took place on 12 January 2018. On 3 May 2023, King Mohammed VI of Morocco declared the Berber New Year as a national public holiday in Morocco.

Origins
The Berber Academy was established with the intention of recognizing Yennayer as the "Amazigh New Year," based on the longstanding tradition of North Africans celebrating the event each year. In 1980, Ammar Negadi proposed the creation of a Berber calendar.

Names and Etymology
According to one theory, Yennayer means first month, deriving from Berber languages, Yan = One and Ayyur = month. However, because the Julian Berber calendar uses Latin-derived names for all the other months like most European languages, it is more likely that it derives from Latin Januarius, and is cognate to English "January", Italian gennaio, Spanish enero, and Maltese jannar, and it being derived from yan ayyur is a folk etymology.

Yennayer has several popular names that can differ by region such as id seggas (إيض سڭاس) or haguza (حاڭوزة) in Morocco.

Celebration
One of the most significant aspects of Yennayer is the preparation of a special meal, which is hearty and different from everyday ones. The Kabyle people of Algeria, for example, use the meat of the sacrificed animal (asfel) to complement couscous. In the Sous region of southern Morocco, participants enjoy dishes such as tagula, made of barley with smen and argan oil, and berkukes, a dish prepared with vegetables and pasta in the form of grains.

In addition to the meal, Yennayer is also a time for exchanging wishes for prosperity and symbolizes longevity. It is often marked by other significant events such as the first hair cut for little boys, marriage under the good omen of Yennayer, and agricultural initiation rites where Berber children are sent to pick fruits and vegetables from the farm themselves. The rites performed during Yennayer are done in a symbolic manner and aim to eliminate famine, augur the future and change, and warmly welcome the invisible forces that Berbers believed in.