Carnival of Awussu

The Carnival of Awussu, or in French carnaval d'Aoussou, is an annual festive and cultural event that unfolds each 24th of July in Sousse, Tunisia.

Awussu carnival parade, July 24, 2016

It's a parade of symbolic chariots, fanfares and folk groups from Tunisia and elsewhere which takes place near the beach of Boujaafar, at the eve of the beginning of 'Awussu (The word designating the heat wave of the month of August according to the Berber calendar). Originally it was a Pagan feast (Neptunalia) celabrating the god of the seas, Neptune in the Roman province of Africa, and might even go back to Phoenician times : the appellation Awussu is a possible deformation of Oceanus. The cult transformed as time unfold and lost all religious connotations. In the modern era, prior to the Tunisian revolution, the festival was used for political propaganda.[1][2]

In 2014, it was canceled for organizational and financial reasons[3], but celebrations of the festival resumed in 2015[4] · .[5]

References
  1. « Nous sommes des citoyens, non des marionnettes », Alternatives citoyennes, n°11, 20 octobre 2004
  2. « Festival d'Aoussou : Le retour ! », Jawhara FM, 16 mars 2014
  3. « Sousse : Annulation du carnaval Aoussou », Espace Manager, 24 juillet 2014
  4. « Reprise du festival d'Aoussou, le 24 juillet, après 4 ans d'absence », Business News, 23 juillet 2015
  5. « Sousse : le Festival d'Aoussou de retour après 4 ans ! », Tekiano, 27 juillet 2015
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