May 13, 2005/Iyar 4 5765, Volume 57, No. 37
An evening of hospitality
LEISAH NAMM
|
 On the last night of Passover, Moroccan families visit each other's homes to wish them success and prosperity. Pictured at a Mimouna celebration at the home of Michel Benharbon in Scottsdale, from left, are Jacky Sebag, Rina Sebag, Chana Sebag, Tsipie Kohler, Jacqueline Jackson and Caroline Haziza. In front is Chava Abecassis, who was visiting from Israel. Photo by Eytan Sebag |
The Sephardic Community of Arizona and the Scottsdale Sepharadic Synagogue joined together May 2 for an evening of festivities that included Sephardic music, colorful traditional garb, Israeli dancing and tables full of sweets for nearly 300 guests at the Best Western Scottsdale Airpark.
Mimouna festivities begin on the last night of Passover with people visiting others' homes to wish them "terbah," a wish for success and prosperity, says Jacky Sebag, president of the Sephardic Community of Arizona. "People go from home to home; they stay about 10 minutes and wish 'terbah.'" It's customarily a time for singles to meet, he adds.
Mimouna originated in Morocco, but is now widely celebrated in Israel, Sebag says, where families spend the day after Passover picnicking. "I remember as a child we would leave home very early in the morning and we would go very far from home and picnic with the whole family," recalls Sebag, who grew up in Morocco.
Explanations about the origin of Mimouna vary. Some believe that Mimouna marks the date of the death of Maimonides' father, Rabbi Moshe Ben Maimon. Another explanation is that the name Mimouna comes from the Arab word for "luck."
Traditional Mimouna foods include mufleta, a crepe dipped in honey and butter, which symbolizes sweetness, happiness and prosperity.
Women of the Phoenix Sephardic community spent days preparing the delicacies, Sebag says. "What I call them is 'the wonder women.'" The treats were prepared before Passover, then frozen and "sold" along with the rest of the chametz, or leavened food. While Mimouna was celebrated in people's homes the last night of Passover, the public celebration was a day later, to allow time to buy back the chametz and defrost the sweet treats.