Mimona in Gan Shmuel | Home
Tirbacho we'Tisado
This is the story about a Moroccan traditional ceremony. There is a group of members in Gan Shmuel that immigrated to Israel from Morocco. They brought many traditional customs with them; one of them is the Mimona. We celebrate the Mimona on the last day of Passover.
At night, the people wear special loose dress, decorated with colorful embroidery, called a caftan.
People enjoying the Mimona traditional foodstuff.
Center: Traditional table and G'ilda dressing the Moroccan caftan
To the sounds of traditional music, the people sit around the tables. The tables are covered with all the best of what is home-made or bought such as: coconut cakes, dates stuffed with coconut and the traditional Shbakiya: a special sweet which is fried. Special jams, made of carrots and oranges and even grapes are also served. There is also butter and honey on the table. The tables are decorated with broad beans and sheaves. In the middle of the table there is a plate full of flour, dates and coins. The flour and the dates symbolize plenty and the coins symbolize wealth. The other plate is full of vegetables and fish; they stand for fertility. People are served also the Mophleta. Mophleta can be eaten with honey or butter as a symbol of blessed and a sweet year.
The door has to stay open so that all passersby can come in and taste.
The kibbutz members and children testing the sweets of Mimona
Putting the sheaves on both shoulders is the symbolic way of saying that you will be surrounded with plentifully and wealth as many as the grains’ sheaves. Then the people use to greet themselves with a special Moroccan blessing, “Tirbacho we'Tisado"; tirbacho means gain and profit like the word in Hebrew, and tisado means be happy.