Widows in Morocco live a special atmosphere on Eid al-Adha

Abdelghani Ballout-Marrakech

Rabia comes close to the ram of the feast and joy almost jump out of her eyes, while wiping her young son on the back once and trying to drag him from his horn lightly again.

The widow pays the price of the sheep to the seller after a short bargain in a hot summer atmosphere, before looking for a "mobile" at the market door to take her to her home in a slum in Marrakech.

"Eid al-Adha has a great place in my heart, and today I am happy to have a sacrifice like everyone, delight my four children and give me a chance to hold this great prophetic year," said Rabia.

Eid atmosphere
With the approach of Eid, a number of Moroccan civil societies are working to acquire the Eid sheep and distribute them to the needy and the poor. Moroccans are also willing to buy sacrificial animals, whatever their material circumstances, and there are widespread manifestations of solidarity.

But the Society of Good Companions chose a creative idea, and set up a typical market five days before the feast outskirts of the city, dedicated only to widows and orphans.

The president of the association, Youssef Anzid, who distributes the roles of his group to Al Jazeera Net, explains that Rabia is one of more than thirty widows who went to the "model market for widows", which provides the atmosphere of Eid like any market in the Red City, and delight in their hearts, especially the hearts of their orphaned children.

Humanitarian initiative
“The dignity market,” he said, “offers two things. The first is that children live the joy of Eid and all its rituals, from taking their mothers to the market and buying the sheep for their taste.” Second, the dignity of the widow is preserved and not embarrassed before her children and neighbors. .

In order to organize the process, the society purchases the numbered sacrifices from the Ministry of Agriculture (Agriculture) from reliable sources, and then pay the price of the sheep in advance to the widows, before being summoned according to an organized timetable, where the first opportunity is given to those who support more children to choose the sacrifice of Eid.

"Anyone who lives at the moment of the price watching the joy in his son's eye feels the value of this initiative," said Rabia.

Sacrificial feast
Since her husband's death five years ago in a car accident, Rabia has not been able to afford the price of the Eid sacrifice.It has become the case, although her work as a cleaner at a bakery near her home is enough for her daily expenses, while the holiday requires special expenses.

The widow recalls that the day of Eid went through a bleak sad day. It was not easy for her children, all under the age of ten.

She adds that she has been offered the sacrifice of Eid this year, but she knows that her cousin will not, so she calls her and her children to spend the Eid morning.

She remembers with sorrow of her deceased husband - but she remains on his reign - she divides the sacrifice of the Eid as the rest of the people of the roundabout (the region) and puts one third of it under the reference of the jurist to distribute his knowledge to students of science and passers-by.

The joy of the market
When Rabia enters the market and wanders her eyes, she finds the "crab" that watered people, the "cargo carrier", the salesman of the calorie, the seller of "boiled eggs and potatoes" and the fodder and coal traders. The cyclist and the car keeper take the door of the market, while the cattle breeders are distributed on the shores and in the middle.

That morning, the weather is getting hotter as the day progresses. As "supposed customers" arrive, sellers shout, mixed with the sound of sheep, and the scents of livestock feed and scraps fill the place.

"The market for me and my children was a big surprise," Rabia said.

Laila Ait-Sala, a member of the association and the "vendor of Harira" in the market, stresses that the experience, while at the beginning, offers the opportunity to share the joy of Eid with people deprived of time.

While the young Osman Khater, a member of the Association, which plays the role of "Kassab" that this experience is inspiring for him, in which he approached more than a profession he was very much ignorant about, the son of the city.

Aid and dignity
Images of providing aid to the poor and needy are widely criticized every year, but the idea of ​​a typical widow market, which some have shared on social media, has been well received among civil servants.

Indeed, Rabat activist Nesrine Louzi moved to Marrakech to see this experience and take her to her home town.

Al-Lawzi said in an interview with Al-Jazeera Net that the most important characteristic of the "Dignity Market" is that it offers a hidden charity, preserving the dignity of some, and away from others all manifestations of ostentation.

The Moroccan government allocates direct subsidies to widows up to a maximum of 1,100 dirhams (about $ 115) per month, but Rabia knows nothing about it, like many widows because the government initiative is still in its infancy.