Zerda à Taddart tighilt mechtras.

The village festival (zerda) of Tighilt, in Mechtras in the Tizi Ouzou region, is an ancestral tradition deeply rooted in Kabyle culture. It is not simply a religious or popular celebration: it is a social, cultural, and spiritual event that strengthens the bonds between the villagers and families originally from Tighilt living elsewhere. Often organized around the mausoleum of a local saint or a symbolic site in the village, the zerda brings the inhabitants together for one or more days. Families participate collectively in preparing traditional meals: couscous, meat, Kabyle flatbreads, tea, and dishes prepared to welcome guests who sometimes come from various regions. The ceremony generally begins with: collective prayers, the reading of the Quran, invocations for peace, rain, health, and the protection of the village, followed by a large meal shared by everyone, regardless of social standing. The zerda also has a very human dimension: reconciliation between families, reunions between elders and young people, transmission of Kabyle customs, and celebration of collective work called tiwizi. In many Kabyle villages like Tighilt, the zerda is also a time when: emigrants return to the village, elders recount local history, women pass on culinary and clothing traditions, and young people rediscover their cultural identity. The atmosphere is often marked by: ululations, discussions in the village square, traditional clothing, and sometimes religious songs or Kabyle folk music. Beyond the religious aspect, the zerda remains above all a symbol of social cohesion and attachment to the land, to ancestors, and to the values ​​of solidarity that characterize Kabylia.