10+ Interesting facts about culture and everyday life in Morocco

We are so used to our way of life that it is sometimes even shocking to imagine that some things that are common to us can be completely foreign to other cultures and vice versa. If, on the one hand, globalization has provided the universalization of some customs, on the other hand, it allows us to know the particularities and characteristics of other peoples without even having to leave home. The culture and lifestyle of Morocco are the subject of this post.

we, from awesome.club, we love to find out more about other peoples. That’s why we’ve researched the culture and lifestyle in Morocco and are ready to share our findings. As a bonus, you can also find out who are some of the famous four-legged inhabitants of the country. Check out!

In 2016, Morocco ranked 2nd in the ranking of countries that consumed the most plastic in the world, second only to the United States. According to data, the country produced about 3 billion plastic bags annually, which generated an average of 900 units per inhabitant. To combat this, the government banned the use of these items as of July 2016. Their manufacture, sale, purchase and even storage are not allowed. Alternatively, people are encouraged to use reusable bags.

Taxis are divided into two categories in Morocco: “small” and “large”. The first ones do not run outside the municipal limits and have a different specific color in each city. For example:

in Rabat — blue; in Meknes — light blue; in Casablanca — red.

The “big ones”, in turn, race outside the municipal limits and are usually white, yellow or gray. Furthermore, these taxis often have a fixed route (roughly speaking, they work as an alternative to intercity buses).

But that’s not all about taxis in the country: it’s common for the driver to take extra passengers along the route of the ride if he still has a spare seat in the vehicle. And you have to be prepared for that.

Some tourists have noticed that Moroccans usually wear overcoats, jackets and even fur coats when it is still cool on the street (which is not so far from the reality of some regions of Brazil, do you agree?). However, tourists also noted that this can be a way of showing off, not least because only the rich wore truly warm clothes, while other people only wore a thin coat or jacket.

Moroccan drivers love to honk. And they like it so much that sometimes it can even scare unsuspecting tourists. There are several reasons for honking, including:

If you are stopped at a red light, the driver of the car behind may start honking non-stop indicating that he is in a hurry and that “you can go ahead, after all, the light will soon turn green”. As in Brazil, acquaintances usually greet each other by honking their horns. During overtaking, drivers can also honk their horn. This indicates that the maneuver is safe or, on the contrary, warns that it is not possible to overtake at the moment.

However, in a sea of ​​horns, you will hardly understand what other drivers are trying to say.

The future of a young person in Morocco depends on many factors. In particular, his place of birth and the quality of education he received.

For example, a Moroccan who graduated from high school at a prestigious urban school and then went to university is likely to get a good job, car and housing in Casablanca. His lifestyle will certainly not be very different from what we are used to in Brazil.

But if that same person was born and educated in the countryside, their opportunities (and perhaps even desires) to make a living in the city will be virtually non-existent. And even if he completes higher education, his chances are still lower because of his background.

Moroccans prefer to eat with their hands rather than cutlery. Culturally, hands are believed to be much cleaner. But there is also a rule of etiquette that governs this custom: you must take the food with three fingers of your right hand (in the same way as we hold a pen or pencil, for example).

By the way, during meals, Moroccans love to drink tea. If you drink less than three cups, the host may be offended.

The tradition of eating with your hands is followed, for the most part, by the population of rural areas. Urban residents generally choose to use cutlery.

Furthermore, burping during a meal is considered a gesture of good manners in the country. And for citizens who eat with their hands, licking their fingers after they finish eating is a very common attitude.

In the past, all Moroccan women were required to have a tattoo on their face, hands, legs and other parts of their body. The tattoos functioned as an amulet and represented the distinctive symbols of each village. In addition, they also showed when the woman was already of marriageable age (the first tattoo was done when the girl reached puberty).

Over time, this tradition ended up falling into oblivion. However, nowadays it is still possible to find Moroccan women with face tattoos in the most isolated rural areas of the country. In general, they are elderly women, and it is more difficult to find young people who still follow this custom.

What is the first image that comes to your mind when you hear the phrase “Moroccan woman”? Certainly, the figure of someone with legs and shoulders covered, wearing an outfit with no cleavage and a scarf covering his head. However, in fact, only older women who have received a more conservative upbringing end up dressing this way.

Younger Moroccan women, especially in cities, prefer to wear jeans, high heels and T-shirts with increasing frequency. And makeup has also become a very common item in their daily lives. Although they feel good that way, more conversational Moroccans often whistle when they see them on the street. If you are a tourist in the country, you will have to get used to ignoring it.

During the period of mourning, Moroccans wear white clothes, although this is not strictly a rule. By the way, white is also considered the color of mourning in some other places like India, Cambodia and other East Asian countries.

Certainly, Morocco is considered a very touristy destination — in recent years the country has been literally inundated with tourists. And many of them tend to photograph everything possible, including the locals.

However, best to avoid doing this. Moroccans don’t like to be photographed, and for all their sympathy with tourists, they can get upset and fight with them — and in this case, they’re completely right. But there is a simple way to escape this situation: before photographing someone, just ask their permission.

In modern homes, people, of course, have a bathtub or shower in the bathroom. However, many houses still use the traditional bucket and gourd for bathing, as was done in the old villages of the country. Just fill a bucket with water, dip a gourd in it and pour the contents over the body.

Of course, this does not mean that people in Morocco have problems with personal hygiene. They shower often, some just do it in a different way than we do.

Toilet paper, in general, is available in the country in expensive hotels, restaurants and cafes. In other places you will hardly find it. This, by the way, is one of the biggest problems for unsuspecting tourists.

In Morocco, the role of toilet paper is performed by water. You can find a basin or bucket of water in almost any bathroom to help you during these times.

In Morocco, it is considered perfectly natural to have a light body aroma. Generally, Moroccans do not change their clothes every day and do not use deodorant. Instead, they use rose water or musk for personal hygiene.

For a first-time tourist, this can be quite a discovery.

What feature of Morocco and its culture did you find most interesting? Could you adapt to the country’s way of life? Tell us in the comments section.