A Toronto-based organization that promotes Moroccan-Jewish culture will be hosting a Mimouna celebration to mark the end of Pesach and the beginning of a new agricultural season.
Simon Keslassy, the president of the Communauté Juive Marocaine de Toronto (CJMT), which represents the 18,000-strong Moroccan-Jewish community in Toronto, said this event, scheduled for April 22 at the Sephardic Kehila Centre, is a first for his organization.
The origins of the celebration, held the evening that Pesach ends, are unclear, but some believe it marks the death date of Maimon ben Joseph, the father of the great Jewish philosopher, Maimonides.
Others believe the tradition is linked to the Arabic word for health and good fortune, ma’amoun.
In addition to being able to eat chametz again, Mimouna also marks the beginning of spring.
Keslassy said he hopes this event, sponsored by UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, will attract people from both the Ashkenazi and Sephardi communities in Toronto.
“We celebrate this in Israel, Morocco and France, and everywhere where there are people of Sephardi heritage origins,” he said.
“That’s why we invite the Ashkenazim to be part of it, so they know what Mimouna is all about.”
The event will feature a sweet table featuring traditional Moroccan treats, including Moufletta, a thin, fried crepe drizzled with honey.
“Moufletta is one custom for every Moroccan, so we’re going to have that,” he said.
“We’re also going to have lettuce with honey. It’s significant because we say a brachah to the children with the lettuce and honey… that this year will be a prosperous year,” Keslassy said, adding that this custom is the most important one.
The event will also feature music and a film screening about the tradition of Mimouna in different Moroccan cities. The guests are encouraged to wear traditional Moroccan garb – jilabas and kaftans.
