Dr. Esther Shekalim

The secret history of the Mimouna festival

Mimouna is still known today as "the holiday of Moroccan Jews," despite the fact that in the past it was celebrated, in similar ways and to varying degrees, in all Sephardic and Eastern communities (except Yemen). A new and original book reveals that Mimouna is an imitation of the ancient non-Jewish Persian New Year (Nowruz).