Festival Ha'Griggy Visits Essaouira

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First of all I want to apologize for not being able to find the correct spelling of 'Ha'Griggy.' I find no

reference to it online so I am just guessing based on how the Moroccans pronounce it. The Ha Griggy are a group of holy men who travel once a year around the local countyside to tell stories, spread news and provide ancient cures. They have been carrying out this tradition since time knows when visiting the Berber Ha Ha cities located between Safi and Agadir. The holy men travel by horse and mule. Nowadays they are followed by truckloads of saleable goods, festival groupies and kitty rides.

This year's event came complete with a miniature

Ferris wheel, kiddie cars and a sliding weight on an

incline to test your strength. The event was held

on the street behind the bus station that heads up

toward Safi Beach. There were tons of stalls selling the standard souk items and lots of guys selling sweets. They even had cotton candy.

Down towards Safi Beach were the magicians and fortune tellers. They were surrounded by crowds of men and women looking for advice and help. Some walked away with potions to ward off the evil eye or many other kinds of ailments. I have seen a holy man make a certain potion and it included over a dozen special ingredients including dried toad, sassafras and porcupine needles. Put you mind at ease, the recipes are not for digestion. They are ritualistically burned and the affects are immediate.

The entire city was out for this years event. It was so packed that you could barely squeeze the entire half mile route in one hour. This was the grand promenade to top all others. I had a great time people watching and munching candy covered peanuts.

Current Exciting News: Today His Majesty The King Mohammad VI will arrive in Essaouira. His visit is scheduled to last two days and he will meet with the representatives of the new Atlas Resort. The autocade is scheduled for around 4pm so I better get on my way. This could be the Third time I have seen Mohammad VI. My first time was the most exciting because I was in Dakhla, but today should be just as good. I expect the entire town out to meet this popular king.

Weather - Just like summer, warm and great surf every morning this week at Safi Beach. The afternoons will be great for wind sports in the Bay. Things could not be better. Have fun in our fabulous city!

Check the surf in Essaouira:

http://www.windguru.com/int/index.php?sc=26

Check the Weather in Essaouira:

http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=essaouira

Next Week: Essaouira Museum

Current Events:

The Alliance Françoise is hosting the exhibition

«Portraits in Oil» by Anna - from April 2 to

the 24th.

For at full schedule of events at the Alliance

Françoise, go to their website at:

http://www.ambafrance-ma.org/institut/afm-essaouira/index.cfm?num=948&archives=1&motcle=28

The Alliance Françoise is located on Rue Laalouj not

far from Dar Suki.

Upcoming Events

The Alizes Classical Music Festival 2007 April 19 -22.

I was at this festival last year and it was really fantastic. For all information go to the official

websight at: http://www.alizesfestival.com/

10th Annual Essaouira International Gnaoua Festival

2007 June 19 - 23. For all information go to the official websight at:

http://www.festival-gnaoua.co.ma/

Blog Posted each Monday by Ron Bauer, see you soon!