3wachir عواشير
Algerian Darja · noun
“3wachir” (عواشير) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning season of religious holidays.
Meanings
- season of religious holidays
- festive and family occasions
Usage
3wachir refers to the holiday season, especially religious (Eid, Ashura, Mawlid), and more broadly to festive occasions. The word is almost always used in the plural. It appears in the greeting "sa7a 3wachirkom", "happy holidays". It is also used in "rana f 3wachir", "we are in the festive season", to call for good cheer or restraint: it's not the time to get angry. The register is everyday and warm. It does not mean a specific day, but a festive time.
Example
صحا عواشيركم، الله يعاودها عليكم بالخير.
sa7a 3wachirkom, allah y3awedha 3likom bel khir.
“Happy holidays, may God bring them back to you in goodness.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3wachir” but also “3wacher” and “awachir”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent.