Wezeea

A Wazīʿa ({{langx|ar|وزيعة}}) or Thawzīʿath, also known as Thamšeraṭeth ({{lang|ar|ثامشرطث}}), is the term used in Algeria to designate one of the cultural customs in a Sufi society observed by the inhabitants of rural areas, especially the Berbers of Kabylia.{{Cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.net/news/reportsandinterviews/2017/6/22/الوزيعة-موروث-أمازيغي-احتضنه-الإسلام|title="الوزيعة" موروث أمازيغي احتضنه الإسلام|website=www.aljazeera.net}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.alquds.co.uk/الوزيعة-عادة-أمازيغية-جزائرية-تعود-ف/|title="الوزيعة"… عادة أمازيغية جزائرية تعود في رمضان|date=June 2, 2017}}

Presentation

The Wazīʿa is not only widespread in Kabylia, but also in the Aurès, M'zab, and elsewhere in the country.{{Cite web|url=https://www.djazairess.com/echorouk/286892|title=الوزيعة عادة راسخة بقرى البويرة قبيل رمضان|website=جزايرس}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.djazairess.com/alseyassi/82643|title=للتضامن مع المعوزين قبيل رمضان|website=جزايرس}}

They are organized on several occasions and mawsims, especially during Ashura, Ramadan, Mawlid, and the beginning of the plowing season.{{Cite web|url=https://www.djazairess.com/elkhabar/628612|title="لوزيعة" أيقونة التكافل الاجتماعي في منطقة القبائل|website=جزايرس}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.net/news/miscellaneous/2015/7/16/لوزيعة-تضامن-اجتماعي-في-قرى-الجزائر|title="لوزيعة".. تضامن اجتماعي في قرى الجزائر|website=www.aljazeera.net}}

The disciples slaughter several cows, which the families and philanthropists share in buying, and they distribute the meat so that all the village's families receive some.{{Cite web|url=https://www.djazairess.com/echorouk/533178|title="الوزيعة" تمتد إلى مدن تيزي وزو بعدما ترسخت في قراها|website=جزايرس}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.djazairess.com/elmassa/164396|title=لوزيعة" لإطعام الفقراء وتعزيز أواصر التضامن والتآزر|website=جزايرس}}

Poor people who do not share in the price of the cows get their share of the meat as well. This makes this habit more of a social solidarity event than something else and is considered an Algerian cultural heritage.{{Cite web|url=https://www.djazairess.com/echorouk/1354275|title=الوزيعة تقليد قديم يعزز أواصر الأخوة بين سكان قرية آيت صلان|website=جزايرس}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.djazairess.com/alfadjr/167836|title="الوزيعة" .. موروث ثقافي يعزز أواصر التكافل بين سكان القبائل|website=جزايرس}}

Sufi orders, especially the Rahmaniyya, contribute to preserving this custom in the rural regions.{{Cite web|url=https://www.djazairess.com/alseyassi/44481|title=جزائريون يتمسكون بوليمة لوزيعة|website=جزايرس}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.djazairess.com/alseyassi/85749|title=لمشاركة المعوزين فرحة عيد الأضحى|website=جزايرس}}

Practices

Since the Wezeea is one of the customs and traditions that the inhabitants of the Kabylia region inherited from grandfathers, the villagers collect money to buy calves or bulls, and the number of bulls sometimes reaches 17 or 20 bulls.{{Cite web|url=https://www.djazairess.com/elitihad/9665|title=انطلاق فعاليات "الوعدة" بمناسبة انطلاق حملتي البذر وجني الزيتون ببجاية|website=جزايرس}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.djazairess.com/alseyassi/88451|title=تعمل على تعزيز أواصر المحبة والتعاون بين العائلات|website=جزايرس}}

If there are many families in the village, the slaughter process takes place on a predetermined day, usually on the day of Friday prayer, then the meat is cut into equal portions according to the number of members of each family, and the meat rations are distributed after that to the families living in the village in equal measure, so that there is no discrimination in the division.{{Cite web|url=https://www.djazairess.com/elbilad/256511|title="الوزيعة" للتراحم والتضامن مع العائلات المعوزة في رمضان|website=جزايرس}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.djazairess.com/echchaab/114900|title="الوزيعة" نموذج للم الشّمل والتّلاحم بين أبناء الشّعب الجزائري|website=جزايرس}}

After distributing the meat to the families, the preparation process for the harvesting of olives and the demonstration of Tweeza begins, which usually takes place in traditional methods at the end of the autumn season, and the preparation is by cleaning the sides of the olive trees and removing weeds and branches that are useless from them and around them.{{Cite web|url=https://www.djazairess.com/elitihad/9280|title=إنطلاق حملة جني الزيتون بأغلب مناطق بجاية|website=جزايرس}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.djazairess.com/elbilad/283414|title=لوزيعة"..من عادات منطقة القبائل قبل شهر رمضان الكريم|website=جزايرس}}

Wezeea is therefore one of the most important manifestations of solidarity that characterizes the residents of the villages, madashir and neighborhoods of the Kabylia region. It is a solidarity process in addition to being an occasion linked to land and water, where the residents used to approach their Allah Almighty Lord by slaughtering calves and cows and distributing their meat to the poor people seeking help.{{Cite web|url=https://www.djazairess.com/annasr/181141|title=إحياء عادة "ثيمشرط" لاستقبال موسم الحرث و البذر في قرى تيزي وزو|website=جزايرس}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.djazairess.com/elbilad/264053|title="الوزيعة" لإحياء مناسبة المولد النبوي الشريف|website=جزايرس}}

And now this custom has become associated with the advent of religious occasions and Islamic holidays such as Eid al-Fitr, Qadr Night, and the Mawlid, and some of them hold it to celebrate the Amazigh New Year called Yennayer corresponding to the twelfth of January of each year in the Gregorian calendar.{{Cite web|url=https://www.djazairess.com/akhbarelyoum/164599|title=جني الزيتون بنكهة خاصة|website=جزايرس}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.djazairess.com/echchaab/54553|title=انطلاق حملة جني الزيتون ببجاية|website=جزايرس}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.djazairess.com/akhbarelyoum/128187|title=هكذا يحيي الجزائريون رأس السنة الأمازيغية..|website=جزايرس}}