On this night, the final chapters of the Quran are recited, and the prayers stretch late into the night. [Getty]
As the sun sets over Morocco, Laylat al-Qadr begins—the 27th night of Ramadan, believed to be when the Quran was first revealed. In the North African kingdom, the night is more than a spiritual vigil; it is a kaleidoscope of culture, family, and memory.
For Khawla Al-Alaoui, 32, it has always been a night to remember. As a child, it was the one night she could stay up past her bedtime, surrounded by family and friends she rarely saw during the year. Now, she helps her six-year-old daughter into a traditional kaftan, excited to pass on the tradition.
"This night is about introducing children to fasting in a fun way, where they learn about their faith and celebrate it," she explains.
On this night, children as young as six or seven are encouraged to try fasting for a few hours or a full day. In return, they enjoy a festive pageantry more reminiscent of a carnival.
Preparations for the night begin with a flurry of shopping, often borrowing from siblings' wardrobes or visiting the neighbourhood seamstress.
In the narrow streets of Kenitra, just 40 km from Rabat, seamstress shops buzz with last-minute orders. Neighbours file in to pick up miniature jabadors and tiny takchitas in brilliant shades of emerald and gold.
"We're usually very busy during Ramadan, as most Moroccan women love to prepare new traditional clothes for Eid, but we always make time for the children on this day. It's our tradition," Siham Chtioui, a worker at a seamstress shop, tells The New Arab.
As the call to prayer signals the end of the day's fast, families gather for a lavish iftar—a table laden with dates, milk, and steaming dishes of couscous.
For first-time fasters, the tradition is marked by peeling a hard-boiled egg to break the fast, followed by milk and dates.
Families then head with their youngest to mosques for Taraweeh prayers. On this night, the final chapters of the Quran are recited, and the prayers stretch late into the night in mosques around Morocco.
"In recent years, younger people have become more eager to attend prayers on this night and spend time with loved ones. Social media likely plays a role in this renewed enthusiasm for spirituality and community", explains Youssra Tafraouti, a Moroccan sociologist, in her interview with TNA.
After the prayers, the children steal the show. Boys step out in crisp jabadors or flowing djellabas, topped with a red tarbouch and finished with the soft leather of balgha slippers.
Girls wear ornate takchitas or finely embroidered djellabas, paired with delicate sharbil slippers and henna tattoos of Amazigh symbols or intricate flowers curling across their hands.
They are hoisted into the amariya, a silver or copper-adorned bridal chair, carried by four men in traditional dress, dancing to the sounds of zgharit (ululations) and Moroccan folk music. Boys ride small, elaborately decorated horses.
In a country where memory is treasured, photography studios see a surge as families rush to immortalise the moment, with long queues forming outside for pictures.
"In Morocco, this night is more than spiritual. It has long been about celebrating the community and giving back to it", Tafraouti adds.
"Families visit cemeteries, offering prayers for the departed. The day is also marked by generosity, as alms flow to the poor in a final act of Ramadan's compassion."
As dawn breaks, the celebrations give way to reflection. With the holy month of Ramadan drawing to a close, many share their wishes and duas (prayers) this night—from the children's naive hopes for fewer school hours to the older ones, beginning to grapple with the world's woes, including a heartfelt prayer for a free Palestine.