About the first or second weekend of May every year, Moroccans harvest plenty of roses in Dades valleys,
also called the valley of the roses. Tucked in this valley is Kelaa-des-Mgouna, a town filled with the fragrance
of the rose flower it produces and distills. Since it is another bumper harvest of one of the world’s most adored
flower, the locals organize the Kelaa-des-Mgouna rose festival to celebrate the harvest of the luring fragrance of the rose flower.
The Kelaa Mgouna Rose festival commences on a Friday evening where locals showcase their crafts in stalls
with organizations operating in the locality explaining what they do to locals, but the main event is
usually on Saturday from midday where roses are paraded, sold and bought in plenty. This is later
followed by entertainment in the arena, with entertainment groups, mostly drawn from the local
tribes taking to the stage and entertaining the attendants with songs, dances, and sword maneuvers,
snake charming and traditional musical instrumentals. One of the most important events is usually
the crowning of the Miss Roses of El kelaa-des-Mgouna who holds the crown for one year and relinquishes
it in the following year’s festival to another beauty.
There are various guesthouses, hostels and hotels in Kelaa-des-Mgouuga to accommodate the rose festival
enthusiasts. Most of them are located in the heart of Roses valley and are reasonably priced. The beautiful
sceneries of the pink tiny Persian roses, the rose perfumed paths in the Rose valley and the warm smiling
faces of the local communities in Kelaa-des-Mgouna are beautiful moments to cherish.
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