The photo illustrates a betrothement ceremony of Anzar.
Anzarism is the religion of the ancestors of Kabylia. There is no missionary service for the faith, which means no one is obliged to believe. In Anzarism, there is no god to adore. Anzar is a song, not a prophet, nor a pope.
Everyone is free to worship as many kind spirits as they like, which they can tie to anywhere; to any olive tree, to any mountain or any path.
Anzarism does not require prayer, no kneeling, or for you to shove your nose in the ground.There is no sacred book or revelation, just a song consisting of 4 strobes.
The Anzarium, the temple of the Anzarism, can be anything; for example, a fertile olive tree that is yet to be knocked down by lightning. If your Anzarium is not fertile, nobody will hold it against you. If the lightning has already struck down in your Anzarium, it still remains holy.
Any village is free to modify the music of Anzar. Anzar is a festive guy, which is not surprising, considering that Anzar is a song.
The camels do not look to the Anzarism. Anzar forces no one to fast. Still, if you are overweight (which is rare among Kabyle farmers), you are allowed to lose weight. The diet is not forbidden. And if you’re too poor, you can ration your family’s finances without arousing anger from Anzar.
Anzar accepts and acknowledges Yuvter (Jupiter) as a replacement god for Kabyle who has been Romanized (as far as I know, there are still some).
Anzar threatens no one, rewards no one. He is fair and never sends an illiterate man to guide the farmers in Kabylie.
To honor Anzar, one places out a barrel of tweeq de adhemmin (rye flour, mixed with olive oil) served with pomegranate, the first day the fields are plowed. If the farmer does not like adhemmin, he is free to replace it with couscous or with any other food, of his liking.
To convert to Anzaris, it is enough to sing Anzar. Witnesses are not required. To leave the religious belief, it is enough to stop singing Anzar.
The Kabyle sky is full of gods. My favorite is Anzar. He crossed centuries to lodge in the heart of the Kabyle that I am. Anzar had to face all the invaders. He confounded all the impostures and spared us from all the derivatives that centuries have poured out on our people.
I only venerate the gods of my father and his father before him. Not a follower of a pedophile or the god father who could not even save his crucified son on a cross
An African proverb says:
When the monotheists came to Africa, we had the land and they had their books. They taught us to pray with our eyes closed: when we opened them, the monotheists had the land and we their books.
Jomo Kenyatta