Imilchil Marriage Festival Morocco
Morocco - Essaouira - Fez - Marrakech - Agadir
About The Imilchil Marriage Festival, Morocco
Imilchil is located high up in the lake plateau of the Middle Atlas Mountains in Morocco, inhabited mainly by the various Berber tribal clans. The Imilchil Marriage Festival, Morocco is the prime attraction of this place and takes place annually in the later days of August.
They say all great love stories are tragic. There’s one behind the Imilchil Marriage Festival, Morocco. It’s the story of two star-crossed lovers Isli and Tislet, belonging to two conflicting tribes, who drowned themselves in two mountain lakes. Legend also has that with the mountain separating the two lakes, their souls remained apart even after their deaths.
It is said that these deaths had the many Berber clans resolve to end their skirmishes and henceforth allow an individual to marry according to his/her desires. This resolve has seen the Berber tribes gathering in earnest at the Morocco Imilchil Marriage Festival and make merry. It is a festival where as many 40 couples take the marriage vows in a day.
In fact, men and women actually come to this Imilchil Marriage Festival looking for potential life partners. The women folk say “You have captured my liver” (the tribal version of “I do”) when they accept a marriage proposal.
Like most of the other festivals in Morocco, the Imilchil Marriage Festival too involves an outpouring of absolute joy and mirth. There are songs and dance performances and sundry shopping opportunities as a huge market also springs up here during the festival days. You can just get hold of some exclusive tribal goods like kilims and rugs, at these shops.