In ancient Rome, it is said that roses first appeared in adonis's blood. Rose crowns are used for weddings, garlands are hung at banquets, and petals are scattered at the feet of the couple.
Moroccan Rose Festival is celebrated in the Rose Valley northeast of Ouarzazate in Dardis Valley. The air is filled with fragrant Damascus roses, Persian roses or cabbage roses, and the streets are full of blooming roses. Moroccan rose industry is concentrated in this small town, and lush pink flowers are processed into perfume, beauty products and rose essential oil. Nearly 7000 pounds of petals are made into 35 ounces of rose essential oil. Here you can learn about the making process of rose water and rose essential oil.
The local family screened out the tight Damascus rose buds from the pink petals harvested in this small Moroccan village. Rose buds are dried and used for cosmetics, rose decoration and cooking, while petals are distilled into rose water and refined rose essential oil, which are the key components of many perfumes in the world, and 60% of the raw materials of roses in Europe come from here.
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Because the festival itself is closely related to the rose period, the exact date varies from year to year, but it is usually in the first two weeks of May. Most arrange the Rose Festival to span the weekend, so that more people can have fun together. Generally speaking, the Rose Festival begins on Friday, with main activities held on Saturday and the Queen of Roses elected on Sunday. You can see the most flowers a few days before the Rose Festival. I had the opportunity to see a large number of rose petals being transported to the factory by truck, and the whole city was filled with the fragrance of roses.
"When you are lost in roses, make your roses so important," Anthony Saint-Exupery wrote in the classic The Little Prince.
In the celebration of the festival, there will be a parade. The Queen of Roses will host a car with artificial roses on its petals, and children will distribute garlands in the street. The outdoor market is full of the fragrance of roses, and there are all kinds of small gifts made of roses, such as soap, lotion, oil, various perfumes, dried flowers and so on. There are also traditional Berber food, music and dance, as well as exhibitions of local handicrafts.
According to local legends, roses have been growing in this valley of Morocco since 10 century, and it is still an important local festival today.