To preface an upcoming post, I’m going to attempt to explain
some of the more evident cultural customs in Morocco, and how they might differ
from our own customs in the U.S. I’m
going to do this from an anthropologically observatory perspective, so it’s
going to be pretty clinical and maybe even guide book-esque, like the last
post. But here we go:
Many Moroccans will greet one another with a kiss on each
cheek (both men and women), though some men may limit the interaction to a hug
or a handshake. Young women in
particular will also greet a new female acquaintance with the kiss on each
cheek (which can be surprising the first time, for those of us who like our
personal space). Good friends may kiss cheeks multiple times in a show of
affection. And when walking together,
girls may link arms, and children, regardless of gender, often hold hands.
Mini history lesson: Women traditionally remained inside
their homes as much as possible, since only those who had to work actually had
to go outside. Being able to remain
inside one’s home was a status symbol, and indicated a husband who was able to
provide for the whole household. The
private sphere was the domain of women, and the public sphere belonged to men
(think U.S. or U.K. 50+ years ago).
Some of those behaviors carry over into more contemporary
society, though they are not mandated by any kind of civil law, the way they
might be in countries like Saudi Arabia, where conservative/reactionary versions
of Islamic shari’a are the basis of national law. (Morocco’s legal system is not based in shari’a,
though Islam is the state religion.) So out
of historical habit, men prefer to meet friends for tea or coffee in cafes
(sometimes daily, for hours), while women prefer to do the same in their homes,
and may spend a lot of time either visiting or entertaining in the
afternoons.
By the same reasoning, the streets are often
male-dominated. Most shoppers are women
(shout out to cross-cultural stereotypes!), but only a small fraction of
vendors are female. But, women often
move through the streets with a purpose, whether it is for shopping, to get to
work or school, or to visit friends. The
groups hanging out on street corners or loitering around vendors’ stalls in the
Medina are all men (or boys) (or boys who think they’re men).
Given the relatively rapid social and political changes
Morocco has experienced (the former King Hassan II’s reign encompassed the infamous
and brutal “Years of Lead”), people are struggling with the re-definition of
rights, speech, and public spaces. A history
of arranged marriages and socially mandated sex segregation makes the dynamic
between young men and women… strange... incredibly, incredibly strange… Young men often call out in the streets after
a girl they like (not unlike American frat boys), hoping she’ll stop to talk,
and a young woman can choose to ignore, berate, or flirt with the catcaller,
depending on her interests.
Moving on, we’re going to talk about daily routine. Breakfast is generally tea or coffee, with
some sort of bread and spreads. Lunch
and dinner can be pretty much anything, though couscous on Friday at lunch is a
well-respected modern tradition. Dinner is
the meal most different from that in the U.S., by virtue of its timing. Dinner
in most households won’t start until at least 9:30pm, and can be as late as
11:30pm or even midnight. A snack might be
served in the late afternoon/ early evening.
Perhaps because dinner is so late (or perhaps dinner is late
for this reason…?) people are often out in the streets long after most people in
the U.S. would have been inside and asleep.
Families, kids, high schoolers, anyone might still be out and
about. Most parents here don’t have the
same idea of bedtime routines many American parents subscribe to, and prefer to
let children stay up until they fall asleep by themselves. (It helps that people of all ages take a lot
of naps.)
And now the time has come to talk about bathrooms. Toilets can be either turkish or western (if
you don’t know the difference, just have fun googling it). Most (but not all!) public toilets are
western. And toilet paper seems to be
optional with the turkish variety.
Showers are also interesting, to say the least. The only option in some homes (even in the
city) is a bucket shower. However, many
places (including the hotel we first stayed in) will have a ‘real’ shower, with
a removable showerhead and a shower that is basically open to the
bathroom. No shower stall or curtain or
door. WATER EVERYWHERE. Part of the reasoning behind the very basic
shower facilities is that most people go to hammam (the communal bathhouses)
once a week or so for crazy super cleaning.
In the hammam, there are multiple rooms of varying temperature, and
people scrub themselves down with special exfoliating gloves and “black soap” (aka weird goop).
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| Black Soap (just for illustrative purposes - not my picture) |
A couple of last minute, random things. You have to be careful with compliments. For example, telling someone that their hair
looks nice or whatever should be followed by “tabarakallah,” a Darija
invocation of God’s protection against the evil eye. There’s a strange meshing of pre-Islamic
superstition and old Islamic religiosity in traditions like this. The idea of evil eye (that someone will bring
down bad luck upon you through their envy, or you will attract the notice of
malicious forces with beauty) pre-dates the arrival of Islam in Morocco, and
the greater Maghreb area. (Maghreb refers to this culturally unusual sector of North
Africa, including Morocco, Algeria, Western Sahara, and Mauritania). The Hand of Fatima – which also provides protection
against the evil eye – is another such complicated symbol. Also known as hamsa, it’s a multi-cultural
symbol of protection, which existed prior to Islam but was later re-appropriated
by various religions (also called the Hand of Mary or the Hand of Miriam,
depending on whether you’re Muslim, Christian, or Jewish). Anyway, the Hand of Fatima (Fatima being one
of the Prophet Mohammed’s daughters) is frequently incorporated into jewelry,
though more often for the sake of tourists than actual Moroccan buyers. “Inshallah,” like “tabarakallah,” is another
frequent invocation and simply means “God willing” – like, “See you in class
tomorrow, inshallah.”
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| Hand of Fatima |
Anyway, that’s a pretty substantial accounting of the differences
and idiosyncrasies that will interest most people, and it makes for a pretty
long post. There will be more about the
role that Islam plays in society here, and my understanding of government, the
monarchy, and the reign of the late King Hassan II at a later date.
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