My Story with Moroccan TBOURIDA

by Tarik Mansouri

At the age of 15, my family and I were invited to my cousin’s engagement celebration, which was the first time I attended an event outside of my city. When we arrived, we were welcomed warmly by my uncle and all his family, but I was attracted by a view, which was a group of men assembled in a tent holding guns in their arms. I asked my uncle about them and he told me that those men were horsemen who would put on a show to celebrate my cousin’s engagement, I was so happy and excited since this was all new to me.

Every one of them had his own horse and the horses were healthy and good-looking. Really, it was a wonderful time when they started doing the show and running at a long pace while shooting their guns in the sky. The exciting news was that my uncle had his own team and every time they participated in a championship they won their game.

So it was a great time to know that and discover one of the best traditions of my country which is Fantasia or
Moroccan Tbourida.

What is Tbourida?

According to Wikipedia, “Fantasia (Arabic: ايزاتنافلا ) is a traditional exhibition of horsemanship in the Maghreb performed during cultural festivals and for Maghrebi wedding celebrations. It is present in Morocco, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Tunisia. It is attested in the ancient Numidian times during which it was practiced by the Numidian cavalry.”