3achoura عاشوراء
Tunisian Derja · noun
“3achoura” (عاشوراء) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning Ashura festival (10 Muharram).
Meanings
- Ashura festival (10 Muharram)
Usage
3achoura is the tenth day of the month of Muharram, at the start of the Islamic year. In Tunisia, the day is marked by family customs. Many people fast on that day or the day before, and it is often when people give their zakat. Traditional dishes are also prepared, including couscous or dried-meat dishes depending on the region. It is mainly used in phrases like nhar 3achoura (the day of Ashura). The spelling with a final hamza comes from standard Arabic; in speech, people simply say 3achoura.
Example
نهار عاشوراء أمي تطيب الكسكسي
nhar 3achoura ommi ttayyeb el kosksi
“On Ashura day my mother makes couscous.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3achoura” but also “achoura”, “3ashoura”, “ashoura” and “3chouri”. 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.