**The noble art of Nafar: Raising awareness during Ramadan**
In the ancestral streets of Moroccan towns, the captivating sound of Nafar still resonates, these guardians of time who awaken sleeping souls before dawn. The Nafar, or town crier, is a seasonal profession that resurfaces with the holy month of Ramadan.
This early worker walks the streets from three in the morning, like a messenger of traditions. Armed with a trumpet-like instrument, he plays a captivating melody to invite the faithful to share suhoor before sunrise.
Once a widespread practice, Nafar is becoming rare these days, given the advent of modern technologies and the evolution of urban neighborhoods. If some upscale neighborhoods reject this presence in the name of modernity, others perpetuate this custom with respect and gratitude.
Naoufal Boukhriss, a Nafar from Rabat, perpetuates this tradition with pride and dedication. Wearing a traditional outfit consisting of a “Jallaba”, a “Tarbouch”, “Belgha” and white socks, he wanders the streets playing a unique melody, like a morning prayer.
Considering his profession as a divine blessing, Boukhriss is rewarded by the generosity of the inhabitants who offer him food, sugar or money, as a token of gratitude.
The Nafar, symbol of continuity and preservation of traditions, embodies the wisdom and poetry of an eternal Morocco, where time seems suspended between past and present, between modernity and authenticity.
*Also discover on our blog:*
– “Disappeared professions: these traditions that resist time”
– “The hidden treasures of Moroccan cities: a dive into history”
– “The soul of the souks: between colors and scents of Morocco”