Montreal's Amazigh community rings in year 2975, continues efforts to preserve culture
For many, Yennayer is a time to reflect on heritage that has stood test of time
Salima Sadi, a Kabyle poet born in the commune of Toudja in Algeria, has been writing since she was about 11 years old, with her roots always at the heart of her words.
"Berber culture has been with me day and night every day since I was born," she said.
From her pen name Oli Vam, which means olive tree in Latin, to the Amazigh jewelry she wears daily, her heritage follows her everywhere she goes.
"It all reflects something, it all reflects an identity struggle," said Sadi.
Her poetry offers a glimpse into centuries of cultural resilience in the face of oppression endured by the Amazigh people, also known as Berbers — a colonial label:
They call me the Berber
Rich in my roots, my landmarks
I'm free and liberated from all senseless chains
I plant olive trees, my whole history is linked to them
Serene, I continue my march
Toward the horizons that our valiant dead have always depicted for us
As Canada and the rest of the world welcomed 2025, the Amazigh — Indigenous people of North Africa — are continuing the efforts of their ancestors to preserve their culture by celebrating their new year: 2975.
More than just a calendar event, Yennayer is a symbol of the resilience of Amazigh cultures over the millennia.
Starting Jan. 12, communities gather on different dates to honour their longstanding traditions and reunite with friends and family.
Sadi recently released her first published collection of poems, Les chemins d'Oli Vam, with one goal in mind: to share her texts with the younger generation.
"[I'd like them] to understand our pride, to be proud of it in their turn, because it's one of the 1,000-year-old cultures that are still standing, very much present, and determined to stay for a long, long time," said Sadi.
She emphasized the importance of having cultural ambassadors for youth, figures who are confident in their identity or double identities.
"It's important to have this model that will restore your values, set them and help you to be convinced of who you are," she said. "What a treasure it is to know our origins."
'Immediately, I think of my grandmother'
The Amazigh people are composed of diverse ethnic groups spread across North Africa, particularly in countries such as Mauritania, Morocco, Mali, Niger, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Burkina Faso. They are also found in the Siwa Oasis of Egypt and the Canary Islands.
Jan. 14 is a public holiday in Morocco, while the new year is observed on Jan. 12 in Algeria. Yennayer marks the beginning of the agrarian calendar and is a celebration rooted in the Amazigh people's deep connection to nature.
For Atigh Ould, owner and chef of Montreal's La Khaïma restaurant in the Mile End neighbourhood, it is a time to reflect on his ancestors and those who have passed.
He remembers his youth in Ivijaren, a village in Mauritania, where the new year would signal the start of a great journey across the desert in search of salt — a vital resource for his family's camels.
His grandmother would spend sleepless nights examining the starry sky, her guide, using the patterns to predict the start of the Amazigh new year for her community.
"When you say 'Amazigh,' immediately, I think of my grandmother," said Ould. "Every time, I have so many emotions."
What began as a search for salt has evolved into a deeper journey to rediscover his ancestors' heritage. Alongside his friends, Ould retraced the path he took as a child, pondering the erasure of aspects of his culture with the arrival of "modern" culture.
"We lost a lot of that knowledge, like my grandmother's knowledge, and that makes me sad because I didn't know how interesting and alive and developed it was," said Ould.
"Unfortunately, my generation hasn't done what needs to be done to preserve these traditions."
He recalled how, in his youth, people viewed his culture as "primitive" and how difficult it was for him to understand his own cultural identity.
Now, he tries to connect with those from his grandmother's generation to learn more about his roots.
In his restaurant, Ould acts as an ambassador for the Mauritanian Amazigh culture. For Yennayer, he cooks simple meals, happy to share them with Montrealers from all walks of life.
"I want everyone to taste the simplicity of life," he said.
Youth eager to protect heritage
Younger Amazigh people like Aymane Amarir are also committed to keeping their customs alive.
From Jan. 11 to Jan. 25, his group, Amazighs Marocains du Canada, is collaborating with the Centre Culturel Marocain Dar Al Maghrib to host a series of activities, including candle decorating and bracelet making workshops, pastry tastings and an introduction to Tifinagh — the Amazigh alphabet. A performance by Moroccan musicians is also planned.
Amarir, a member of the Chleuh community, is very familiar with these ancestral practices.
"It's my parents who make sure we keep this closeness to culture by sharing at home with us," he said.
In the Moroccan town of Imouzzer Ida Ou Tanane and other parts of the country, Amarir explained families, neighbours and friends gather to eat tagoulla — a puree made from corn or barley semolina, depending on the region. The pit of a date is hidden in one of the plates.
"The person who finds the date [pit] in his or her dish is the lucky person of the year," said Amarir.
With these memories in mind, the young Montrealer aims to encourage more youth to discover the culture he holds so dear.
"The group is growing so we're on the right track," he said. "It makes me proud, it makes me happy that there are so many people from our culture, but also foreigners who are interested."
Culture that is here to stay
For Ouerdia Belkalem, a Kabyle Montrealer from the Algerian village of Djemâa-Saharidj, ensuring her children experience their ancestors' traditions is essential.
"We who came here as immigrants experienced these moments in our homeland," she said. "These traditions must remain, from generation to generation."
For Belkalem, celebrating the new year with couscous is a must. She says the table must be graced with crops harvested by farmers the previous year.
Another cherished Kabyle tradition involves toddlers being placed in a wooden or clay vessel, a symbolic gesture to give them strength.
Candies and chocolates are then poured over the children's heads to make their lives "sweet and good." Parents also cut a lock of their hair to remove all the bad of the previous year.
This year, Belkalem organized an event that brought the community and others together for the third consecutive year. It featured a poem collection presentation by Sadi, alongside traditional foods, Kabyle dresses, jewelry and traditional objects.
"It's so that when children grow up, they can remember the moments they spent here through experience and sharing," said Belkalem.
She believes that regardless of events, the Amazigh culture will never disappear.
"It's in our blood, in our veins," she said.
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