I touched the areas of Emintanot Thursday morning was not like any other morning after the "Al-Haouz earthquake", as the sixties lady Fatna Amentak rushes along with her young daughter-in-law Khadija, to serve food to visitors and neighbors, which residents call "Maarouf".

Since the earth shook three weeks ago, there is no talk here in the Tahala roundabout on the outskirts of Marrakech, except for that terrifying night that people thought was the hour of resurrection, as Mrs. Al-Sittini tells Al Jazeera Net.

"But today is a day of Eid, and it is associated with the master of creation Muhammad (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), he came to us quickly to ease some of our pain, and bring joy to the hearts of people and their children," adds Fatna, with a visible glimmer of hope radiating from her eyes.

Mohammed bin Al-Shafi'i became homeless after his house was damaged by the devastating Al-Hawz earthquake (Al-Jazeera)

happiness

While Fatna and Khadija continue to prepare food consisting of pure corn flour, her husband Mohamed Borojo does not hide his happiness with what the two glorious women do, offering his guest and neighbor Mohammed bin Chafei, who has become homeless, delicious bee honey, a cup of tea, dry fruits and amlo (food made from almonds and argan oil), forgetting a conversation he started about the victims of the earthquake in the souls and structures.

"In the season of the birthday day, everyone's joy appears, and large numbers of people arrive in Talmist (a village with an old school for memorizing the Holy Quran between Imintanot and Agadir in southern Morocco), and large numbers of people arrive with their children, some of whom walk distances, and some come from distant cities, to visit and meet loved ones," says the ninety-year-old citizen who experienced the place and time.

He adds to Al Jazeera Net, what Mrs. Fatna does a small part, which offers generous people here, some of them give money, and others resort to sacrifices, women feed meat to people, closer to God on this great occasion.

Children's joy during the celebration of the Prophet's birthday relieves them of the negative effects of the earthquake (Al Jazeera)

dessert

Not far from Mrs. Fatna's house, the minaret of the old school in Talmst is tall, with nothing but minor cracks affected by the earthquake, and around it it has turned into an extended market where people roam in their clean clothes, while children play with joy with their new toys.

Nothing is louder than the confectioner's voice, inviting people to brightly colored "mawlid candy," which he prepared with sugar mixed with raisins, peanuts and rose perfume.

Mr. Mohammed Asawer told Al Jazeera Net, that "sweets, the most important thing in the season, is not matched by other than the acquisition of people for dry fruits that are offered to guests on such occasions, in addition to the keenness of women to buy simple gifts of silver for their young daughters."

Dry fruits are one of the highlights of the celebration of the Prophet's birthday in Morocco (Al Jazeera)

A stone's throw from the old school, and on a small hill, Al Jazeera Net came across an initiative of a civil association coming from the city of Safi, more than 200 km away, aimed at sharing people's pain and joys at the same time, says civil activist Abdessalam Benhania.

Speaking to Al Jazeera Net, the same speaker notes how the people, remained waiting for their turn away from the aid that was carefully placed in the bare ground, without blowing to crowd it, stressing that it is "the pride of the Moroccan citizen, who refuses himself to extend his hand to the need of others."

An initiative that also brought joy to young people by distributing toys, which are symbols of celebration in this remote region, and he is "known" of another kind, as Abdel Salam likes to call him.

The old school in Talmst, on the outskirts of Marrakech, is visited by parents to celebrate the Prophet's birthday (Al Jazeera)

The Story of the Known

But what is the origin of the story, as some people wonder, seeing the habit of "favor" that the people of Talmst cling to, as do the inhabitants of many areas of the Atlas Mountains?

Moroccan academic Rachid Chahmi explains that "Maarouf" is a charity that comes from an individual or group, consisting of ground corn, rice or pasta, prepared by women and given to people, especially to young people and pastoralists passing by, seeking help from God Almighty, and believing that His response - glory be to Him - is fast.

Rashid adds to Al Jazeera Net, "Not only on the day of birth offers food known, it is usually linked -as well- to a place of sanctity, held for reconciliation between people or ask for rain, or in the seasons of planting, harvest and reaping, or prepare the waterwheel, or divide the share of water, so that the provision of food evidence of love, solidarity, loyalty and cooperation. "

The researcher in social history explains that this custom appeared with the spread of the zawiyas in Morocco in the sixteenth century, especially in the Atlas Mountains, which carried with it a cultural and awareness movement for society linked to the promotion of virtue and the prevention of vice, by endearing people to religion through charity to them and not by the sword, and from that this custom took its name.

"Schfang" made with flour and fried in oil is accepted by children and adults during the Prophet's birthday (Al-Jazeera)

Taroudant as well

Aicha Imhrasi in Taroudant (268 kilometres south of Marrakesh) organizes an annual celebration during Mawlid. "The earthquake requires celebration at a minimum, through prophetic praises in the morning, preparing the 'favor' for a lunch consisting of couscous prepared by women, and taking out the 'silk' (a complete collective reading of the Holy Qur'an), followed by supplications of mercy for those who went missing in the earthquake," said this woman, who is the president of a civil society.

Speaking to Al Jazeera Net, Aisha said, she inherited the residence of "known" every year for her deceased mother, and that it is an occasion for visiting between family, loved ones and friends, but some of them come from other cities and from abroad for that, and people who decorate his house in white, and adds to its walls expressive drawings.

Academic Rashid Shahmi points out that this food, which some people are keen to serve at the waterways, is followed by a collective prayer for men, or asked to do so by the elderly women in the group, in order to bring good or pay harm.

Henna is a tradition of celebrating the Prophet's birthday in the Taroudant region, south of Marrakesh (island)

Days go by

In the earthquake-hit areas, the ruins here are still a witness to what was destroyed on Friday evening, the eighth of September, in a few seconds.

"Under every roof and under every tent, lies a story waiting to be told now and tomorrow, the story of a day when everyone was astonished at everyone else, while some of the afflicted were tied up to search for their loved ones under the rubble," Aisha recounts.

"It's not just the houses that have been removed from the ground, but the souls, laughter and smells of loved ones have gone, and their traces, memories and fragrance have been wiped from every corner," Aisha adds, calling out to two children passing by her to taste her food, which smells of delicious ghee.

Are the past days as God willed them and destiny, leave a trace and wipe another, do not pay attention to them, does not restrain their passage curbed and does not accelerate the pace of motivation, as the researcher Rashid says, but that does not prevent people from stealing from the age moments, in order to rejoice and love and cooperate, waiting for the great relief, and return to normal life between mountains familiar to people and familiarity.