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In Morocco, 25 December is a working day. There are no lights, no nativity scenes, and no shop closures.
And that’s a real advantage when it comes to travelling: Everything’s open, there are fewer people about and the weather’s on our side. Here’s what you’ll find and what you won’t.
Morocco is a predominantly Muslim country and Christmas is not part of its calendar. On 25 December, shops are open, schools are in session and life goes on as normal.
One detail that sums it up: There are people who don’t realise that those days are Christmas in other cultures. It’s not indifference; it’s simply not part of the calendar here.
And there is a big difference between town and country:
In Tangier and Tetouan, due to the Spanish and French presence in the north until the middle of the last century, There are still active Catholic churches where Midnight Mass is celebrated.
In Casablanca, where there is a larger Christian community, there are also celebrations.
If you’re looking to experience a bit of tradition, the north is the place to go.
This is what almost no guidebook tells you.
Yennayer is the Amazigh New Year —Berber—, and It takes place on 12 and 13 January. It marks the start of the agricultural calendar, and for the past few years It is a nationally recognised public holiday.
What life is like: family meals, music and traditional dances. The dish of the day is seven-vegetable couscous.
Where: especially in the Atlas Mountains and the Souss region, in Amazigh communities, although it is also found in towns and cities.
And here’s a useful tip for planning: Preparations are getting underway in the days leading up to it, towards the end of December. If you’re going at that time of year and you head towards the Atlas Mountains, you’ll come across them.
To put it another way: if you were looking for a proper New Year’s Eve party, it’s not on 31 December. It’s on 12 January.
The fact that it isn’t a public holiday is precisely the advantage. Everything is still on, with no break for European fixtures:
The Marrakech International Film Festival takes place in early December and has been running since 2000. It features premieres and top-class guests, and draws huge crowds to the city.
If your break falls during the December bank holiday weekend, it’s worth checking whether it coincides with it.
Oukaimeden is just over an hour’s drive from Marrakech, in the High Atlas, and it is no ordinary resort: It is the highest ski resort in Africa.
The season kicks off in December.
And it offers a package that’s hard to beat: Medina in the morning, snow in the afternoon. All in the same day and just a short distance away.
| Where | Day | Night |
|---|---|---|
| Marrakech | 13–20 °C | around 5 °C |
| Desert | Pleasant | Cold |
| High Atlas | Cold | Snow |
The rule is layers. The difference between midday and night is stark, and in the desert it is even more so. With a difference of fifteen degrees, one jacket isn’t enough to see you through the whole day.
That’s where the date is most noticeable, because it has the widest choice of riads and restaurants organising dinners on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Days with temperatures of 15 to 18 °C, which, compared with northern Europe, is a welcome change.
And it serves as a base for day trips, including the snow at Oukaimeden.
The Blue City in the off-season is a different story: Far fewer people than in summer and a leisurely pace for wandering through the medina.
It’s ideal for a trip up north, alongside Tetouan and Tangier.
Its medina is one of the largest in the world and it is a World Heritage Site. Mosques, madrasas and craft workshops open all year round, also in December.
This is the option for you if you’re interested in history above and beyond the festive atmosphere.
These are the ones that hold Midnight Mass and, at the same time, they are just a stone’s throw from Spain. It is the most accessible part of the north from Andalusia.
There are no Moroccan Christmas sweets, because there’s no Christmas. But The country’s pastries are available in the souks all year round: gazelle horns, chebakia, briouats.
More at traditional Moroccan sweets.
We are a local tour operator based in Málaga with over 50 years’ experience organising trips around Andalusia. From the south of Spain, you can reach Morocco in a day:
⚠️ A valid passport is essential. You cross the border and your national identity card isn’t valid. This is the procedure that causes the most problems.
And in December there’s an added bonus: With fewer crowds, the medinas are easier to explore and haggling in the souks is more relaxed.
Before you go: entry requirements, Morocco over the December bank holiday weekend y all the sights to see in the country.
It is not celebrated as a holiday in its own right. 25 December is a working day: shops are open, schools are in session and there are no decorations in the streets. In large cities, hotels and restaurants catering to international visitors organise Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve dinners, but these are intended for foreign visitors. In rural areas, there are no celebrations of any kind.
Yennayer, the Amazigh or Berber New Year, which falls on 12 and 13 January and marks the start of the agricultural calendar. It is celebrated with family meals, music and dancing, and the dish of the day is seven-vegetable couscous. It is most widely observed in the Atlas Mountains and the Souss region, and preparations begin as early as the end of December.
In Tangier and Tetouan, there are still active Catholic churches where services are held, a legacy of the Spanish and French presence in the north of the country. In Casablanca, which has a larger Christian community, religious and private services are also held.
Yes. The Oukaimeden resort, in the High Atlas Mountains and just over an hour from Marrakech, is Africa’s highest ski resort, and its season kicks off in December. It allows you to combine a morning in the medina with an afternoon on the slopes on the very same day.
In Marrakech, temperatures range from 13 to 20 degrees during the day and around 5 degrees at night. The desert has pleasant days and cold nights, whilst the High Atlas is covered in snow. It’s a good idea to pack layers, as the temperature difference between midday and night is considerable.
Yes, precisely because it isn’t a public holiday there. The monuments, souks and museums remain open, without the lull experienced by many European destinations at that time of year, and December is the off-season in much of the country, so there are far fewer visitors. What you shouldn’t expect, however, is a festive atmosphere in the streets.
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