This is one of those religious frontiers where orthodoxy and local custom have met and compromised. The veneration of saints is frowned on by the orthodox Sunni Muslims but Islam, like Christianity, is made up of many sects and such festivals continue. It's worth asking around for details of festival dates because many don't take place at a fixed time in the western calendar.

The National Folklore Festival of Marrakech is a 10-day tourist event well worth attending for the dancers, musicians and other entertainers from around the country.

In October, the little Northern town of Erfoud hosts a festival in honour of the quintessential desert fruit, the date. Independence Day, one of five national secular holidays, is celebrated on 18 November.