10/08/2025
The equestrian show called "Tbourida" dates back to the 16th century. It consists of a staging of military parades reconstituted according to an Arabian-Amazigh ancestral conventions and rituals. The performances of this show are carried out by an odd group of riders (between 15 and 25) who line up with each other with their horses, having their boss in the middle of them. Before the "Tbourida" begins, riders often perform ritual ablutions and pray collectively, thus giving a religious character to their performance. Under the orders of their chief, the riders and their horses execute the parade in two parts: the first is the "hadda," or troop salute, in which the troop pretends to go into the trot on the track, making an exhibition of acrobatic handling of its weapons and then returning to its starting position; the second part is the "talqa," in which the troop pretends to go to war at full gallop by firing its rifles loaded with bonfire cartridges. The riders are dressed in ornate period dresses, turbans and squats, and wear small copies of the Quran and ancient Arab swords. Horse bridles and chairs are handmade from traditional materials and ornaments. The wear and clothing of riders are representative of their tribes or regions of belonging. This element of intangible cultural heritage is passed down from generation to generation within families, through oral tradition and through the observation of those who practice it.
# Marruecos