昨天晚上，受摩洛哥同事的邀请，去他家里跟他们全家一起过摩洛哥的BERBER新年。很简单的方式，一家人围坐在一起，先是共同的晚餐，然后是甜点，最后是茶点。

晚餐是大家共同分享2道大餐，一个是大盘的摩洛哥风味烤鱼，一个是大盘的3整只鸡。不清楚这鸡叫啥做法，总之是典型的摩洛哥风味，因为伴着鸡一起做的辅料是很多的橄榄。

过后的甜点是大盘的冰激凌蛋糕和大盘的水果。至于茶点，则是传统的摩洛哥薄荷茶加各式坚果和果脯混在一起的一大盆。

一家人边吃变聊，其乐融融。我这个异乡人虽然听不懂他们如天书般的一会法语，一会阿拉伯语，但是也着实感受到了摩洛哥人的热情。更好的是，同事的姐姐正想多学英语，于是经常能跟我聊上几句来锻炼锻炼，我也乐得不至于太成为不知所措的旁观者。

听说今天是BEIBEI新年的2959年，不仅让我兴趣大增。这个BERBER到底是怎样的一种文化？回到酒店，就迫不及待地GOOGLE，找到了我想了解的BERBER到底是怎么一回事情。 且贴出来作为知识分享。我也顺便入乡随俗地借这个新年祝愿自己来年在摩洛哥一切顺利了，呵呵。

Introduction

The Berbers lived in north Africa long before the arrival of the Arabs, and their culture probably dates back more than 4,000 years. Berber states known as Mauritania and Numidia existed in classical times.

Between the 11th and 13th centuries, two great Berber dynasties - the Almoravids and the Almohads - controlled large parts of Spain, as well as north-west Africa.

Today, there are substantial Berber populations in Morocco and Algeria, plus smaller numbers in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt. In Morocco, about 40% acknowledge a Berber identity, though many more have Berber ancestry.

Berbers are identified primarily by language but also by traditional customs and culture - such as the distinctive music and dances.

There is a tendency in Morocco to regard the Berbers as backward, partly because their culture is strongest in the less-developed rural areas. Many of the children in these regions drop out of school because they are taught in what, to them, is a foreign language - Arabic. The language barrier often remains a problem throughout adult life, especially when dealing with officialdom.

Berber is not officially recognised in Morocco, though French (the old colonial language) is. There was some pressure in 1996, when the constitution was being revised, to have Berber recognised. There are a few Berber programmes on television - mainly as a token gesture. For more about this see the Berber manifesto.

Linguistically, Berber belongs to the Afro-Asiatic group, and has many dialects. The three main dialects used in Morocco are Tachelhit, Tamazight and Tarifit. Collectively, they are known as "shilha" in Arabic.

• Tachelhit (sometimes known as "soussi" or "cleuh") is spoken in south-west Morocco, in an area between Ifni in the south, Agadir in the north and Marrakech and the Draa/Sous valleys in the east.

• Tamazight is spoken in the Middle Atlas, between Taza, Khemisset, Azilal and Errachidia.

• Tarifit (or Rifia) is spoken in the Rif area of northern Morocco.

Berber is basically a spoken language, though there have been (and still are) attempts to gain acceptance for a written form. A Berber alphabet, probably derived from the ancient Punic script , has existed for around 2,500 years.