A luxury Morocco tours with Hasina Morocco Tours is a great way to see the best of what Morocco has to offer. But touring a country is not just about chilling out in your hotel, doing a spot of sightseeing and enjoying the scenery.
To get the most out of your Morocco tours you should really try to understand the local culture and learn about it a little bit more. If you are lucky enough to be able to visit Morocco, then you will find that the Moroccan culture is a really interesting culture to find out more about.
The people of Morocco are known the world over for being kind and friendly. They are also very obliging, doing the best they can to help you find where to go if you are lost, giving you tips on how to make the most of your tour, and even just chatting and getting to know you.
This is why the tour guides who are part of Hasina Morocco Tours are native Moroccans, born in the Sahara Desert – but multi-lingual as well.
Although Morocco is an open country, that embraces its cultural diversity, Islam is the official religion of Morocco. This has an impact on Moroccan culture, traditions and everyday life – which is important for visitors to understand.
Religion in Morocco
The Islamic calendar is different from the Western calendar as it follows a lunar pattern, and so the dates of its major festivals change year on year. Therefore, if you are planning on visiting Morocco, you should check the Islamic calendar for the year you are visiting to see if your visit clashes with any major religious festivals.
Having said that, as the celebration dates are based on the Lunar calendar the exact date of each festival won’t be official until a couple of days beforehand.
While visiting Morocco during a major religious festival can be very inspiring and give you a really deep understanding of Moroccan culture, it would be best to try and avoid these periods during your first trip there. Just because the changes in the local’s behaviour during these times can disrupt the rhythm of your visit.
#Ramadan
Ramadan is a month-long celebration held in every Islamic country, of which Morocco is one. This festival is dedicated to fasting and feasting, and has a focus on religious and spiritual matters. Food and drink are prohibited during the daylight fasting hours, which can impact heavily on Moroccan’s daily lives – as well as tourists.
Most cafes and restaurants will be closed during the month of Ramadan, and beaches will be empty as they are associated with nudity (sexual thoughts are also prohibited during Ramadan). As fasting can be very tiring in itself, most Moroccan’s will tend to stay at home to rest and pray.
However, after sunset the streets will become busy again, as Muslims head to the temple to pray.
#Eid al Fitr
Eid al Fitr is a celebration that happens on the day after the last day of Ramadan and it translates to “festival of eating”.
So, while Ramadan is all about the removal of food, Eid is about the celebration of it with food such as pastries and other traditional Moroccan dishes being served all day long.
As Moroccan’s tend to celebrate Eid al Fitr with their families and friends, it is common for them to take 3 days off work to rest and visit family members that they perhaps might not have seen for a long time.
#Eid al Adha
This is another religious festival which dictates that any Moroccan man who is married must sacrifice a sheep once a year – representing generosity and sharing. The celebration tends to last about a week, and takes place in family homes – although at least a third of the sheep meat has to be donated to those in need.
Greetings in Morocco
How people in Morocco greet each other depends on what sex they are.
If two people of the same sex meet, they will tend to shake hands, and then offer a kiss on each cheek. However, they tend to be more reserved when it comes to meeting people of the opposite sex.
Some Islamic Moroccan’s are very strict with their religion, and believe that shaking the hand of someone of the opposite sex is a sin, then it is likely that they will just offer a verbal greeting instead.
Dress code in Morocco
Morocco is a conservative country, and therefore it is not acceptable for women to show a large amount of flesh – although there is no need for tourists to cover up entirely. It is not mandatory for women to wear a headscarf, for example, and wearing a sleeveless top or midi skirt is OK, but try not to show a lot of skin if you want to be respectful to the local culture.
Alcohol in Morocco
Morocco is an Islamic country, and so drinking alcohol is not permitted. However, many tourist places offer alcohol as they don’t tend to be frequented by locals.
You can also buy alcohol from Moroccan supermarkets, although it won’t be clearly displayed. You will have to look for it, or ask an employee to point it out.
If you do buy alcohol in Morocco, never drink from a bottle in public, and don’t get drunk.
Tipping in Morocco
Knowing how to tip wherever you are is very important – especially in somewhere like Morocco, as it can impact your experience if you don’t know the “rules”.
It is best to always carry some change on you in Morocco. Have a combination of the 1-dirham piece, 5 dirhams and 10 dirhams so that you can tip accurately. If you want to tip someone 5 dirhams but you only have 10 dirhams, they will likely just take the 10 and not five you any change!
Now that you know a little more about Moroccan culture, hopefully you have been inspired to book your own VIP Morocco Tours. Hasina Morocco Tours looks forward to welcoming you to Morocco so you can experience the local culture for yourself.
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