Mystical Celebration of Mouled at Sidi Mehrez Zaouia
At the crack of dawn, the Sidi Mehrez zaouia was the scene of a mystical fervor for the celebration of Mouled. The walls resonated with the sounds of gombris, chkchaks, tbals, tangaras, and other instruments played by the stambali and bengua confraternities. Members of these confraternities, who came from Sfax, Tozeur, Gabès, Nefta, and other regions of Tunisia, filled the air with a fascinating and mystical energy.
In the courtyard of the zaouia, filled with the scent of incense, hundreds of curious spectators gathered, their eyes fixed on the intoxicating dance steps performed by the confraternity members, who, carried away by a frenzied rhythm, reached a state of trance. These ancestral rituals, witnesses to a centuries-old heritage transmitted from generation to generation, once again paid homage to the African origins of these unchanged ancestral practices. Wrapped in their colorful banners, the devotees celebrated and sang the praises of Sidi Abdelbaki, Sidi Ammar, Sidi Ali Lasmar, and other marabouts, captivating the crowd with this timeless spectacle.
The procession of confraternity members then left the Sidi Mehrez zaouia to head to the Sidi Ben Arous zaouia. Along the way, Sufi chants rose, accompanied by the ululations of women, adding a particular fervor to the ambient excitement.
This cultural manifestation confirms the resilience of these maraboutic traditions, which the devotees have jealously preserved despite the threats of disappearance, continuing each year to invest in these zaouias charged with history and mysticism. They thus perpetuate a rich cultural and musical heritage, deeply rooted in the country's collective memory.
