zarda زردة

Tunisian Derja · noun

“zarda” (زردة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning annual feast for a local saint.

Meanings

1. annual feast for a local saint
2. big festive meal, feast

Usage

The zarda is a traditional festival, often held annually, organized near the shrine of a saint (wali) or a zaouia. A communal meal is shared, usually couscous, sometimes after an animal is sacrificed, along with religious chants and visits. You say aamel zarda (to hold a zarda) or mchina lel zarda (we went to the zarda). By extension, and with a touch of humor, the word refers to any big, copious meal among relatives: "ya3mlou zarda" for a feast. It is not just a party: the zarda has a religious and communal dimension.

Example

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “zarda” but also “zerda” and “zarde”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.

Type “zarda” on the Arabic keyboard

In Moroccan Darija

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “feast, big meal among friends”; “party where people eat well”: zerda in Moroccan.

In Algerian Darja

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “communal festive meal, often at a saint's shrine”; “big spread, celebration with food”: zerda in Algerian.