Let us first mention how some scholars explain the inception of the Amazigh calendar. According to them, the origin of Yennayer refers to the first mention of the Amazigh people in historical records: the founding by Amazigh Pharaoh Sheshonq I of the 22nd pharaonic dynasty in 950 BC, followed by the 23rd and 24th Amazigh pharaonic dynasties, over 200 years (950 BC-712 BC) of Amazigh rule in ancient Egypt. According to ancient Egyptian historian Manetho (3rd century BC) and archeological records, the Amazigh Pharaonic dynasties brought back stability to Egypt by reunifying it and defending it against foreign invasion from the East.
In summary, Yennayer 2951 that we celebrate this year commemorates the first mention of the Amazigh people in history. Significantly, it refers to Imazighen as the contributors to the glorious Egyptian civilization.
The fact that the Amazigh calendar is related to the pharaonic history does not lead us to conclude an ancient Egyptian origin of Imazighen nor should we infer from the Latin names of our calendar (Yennayer, febrayer…) that Imazighen were Roman. The phenomenon of diffusion and linguistic borrowing are common among all civilizations. But it will still be interesting to find out why the Imazighen still use a calendar nowadays, as well as names of many plants, that have Latin roots. The linguistic borrowing can fill a gap (we see such a practice today with computer terminology: we use the English jargon whether we communicate in French, Arabic or Tamazight. Such terminology is missing unless we create neologisms). The linguistic borrowing can also supply existing words (we observe such phenomenon with arabization, for example, of terms used to count: wahed, tnin, tlata instead of yan, sin, krad for 1, 2, 3).
Now, how was Yennayer celebrated among the Imazighen in their geographical, historical and cultural diversity?
Edmond Destaing, a scholar who carried long research on Imazighen, especially Ichelhiyn, reports in 1905 that the Beni Snous (Kef and Khemis), the Yennayer holiday, was celebrated for 5 to 7 days during which people only ate cold meals. We see here an example of analogical thinking: eating cold to be in accordance with nature or the cold of the winter. The first day of the celebration, women and children go to the woods or the hills to bring green plants, such as palm (tree), olive (tree), rosemary, fennel, carob tree and so on. They put them out to dry on the terrace. The green stems augurs or foresees a good and green year. We have to keep in mind that traditional societies lived mainly on agriculture. To avoid having a bad year, countrymen stayed away from exposing on their terraces plants such as evergreen oak and thuya, for they are bitter.
Yennayer was also an occasion to build a new fireplace used for cooking purposes. Women demolished the old one and removed the three stones that serve as support for the structure to build a new one. While lunches were necessarily composed of meat, meat was banished from dinners. People only had berkouks (a wheat preparation close to the semolina served in couscous). After dinner, the owner of the house goes out to call his sheep. If they bleat, the agricultural year will be good. If the herd keeps silent, the man goes to see his cows and talks to them. Their lowing is interpreted as a sign of a year possibly prosperous. If the cows stay indifferent, the owner goes to see his goats and calls them. The year will be mediocre if they bleat, and bad if they do not react to his solicitations.
Women try to finish any weaving work. In case they are prevented from doing so, they remove the loom from the house to avoid having disaster rain down on the hous
