The Rose Festival
With the appearance of rose blossoms in this region of the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, a vibrant festival appears, full of color and aroma. Young women from this region are preparing to participate in the Rose Queen competition as part of the second oldest ongoing festival in Morocco, which is held in May every year.
The Rose Festival (Kelaat M’Gouna): In Amazigh: ⴰⵢⴷⵓⴷ ⵏ ⵉⵍⴷⵊⵉⴳⵏ; in French: Festival des roses. The Rose Festival, the second-oldest festival in Morocco, began nearly 61 years ago in Kelaat M’Gouna, Tinghir Province, to celebrate the harvest season of the rose. Kelaat M’Gouna is the “capital of roses”, as the late King Hassan II called it. Everything in the city revolves around this flower, from the names of hotels and the color of taxis to the cosmetics displayed in the shops that line its main street and the colossal sculpture that stands in the center of its main roundabout. The annual Rose Festival attracts thousands of visitors from all over Morocco as well as foreigners.
Among the various selection criteria for the Rose Queen is that the candidate must be ” from the greater Kelaat M’Gouna region .Among the criteria for selecting the Rose Queen is that the candidate must be “from the greater Kelaat M’Gouna region and knowledgeable about the techniques of cultivating and distilling roses and their various medicinal and aromatic uses .
The organizers of the Rose Festival seek to elevate it from a local and national character to a global one by calling for its recognition as an Intangible Cultural Heritage, similar to the Cherry Festival, which in 2012 was recognized as an intangible cultural heritage by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The festival is distinguished by its traditional artistic performances, including Ahidous groups, Amazigh dances, and unique traditional attire. Colorful processions and carnival-style parades fill the streets, featuring girls dressed in traditional clothing, flower-decorated carriages, and lively folk music bands. The Festival of Roses is also an important cultural event that highlights Amazigh heritage, as well as the customs and traditions of the inhabitants of the Dades Valley and the surrounding Rose regions.