Unseasonal rains put a damper on Mimouna events

An unseasonal recurrence of wintry weather across the country Saturday forced the cancellation and rescheduling of many traditional Moroccan Mimouna celebrations signifying the end of the Passover holiday.

Events planned for Saturday evening and Sunday were canceled in Ashkelon, Beersheba, Kiryat Bialik and more. A celebration in Caesarea which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was scheduled to attend was also nixed. Netanyahu may alternatively visit an event in nearby Or Akiva, which will be held indoors.

Rains swept through Israel over the weekend, and heavy snowfall was reported in the north’s Mount Hermon. Temperatures were also unusually low — 9°C in Jerusalem, 16°C in Tel Aviv and 13°C in Haifa

It was weather uncommon for April in Israel. Channel 2 news reported that the last time such cold temperatures were seen in the country during the spring month was 1997.

Mimouna feasts, a North African Jewish tradition, are held each year to celebrate the end of Passover with honey-covered pancakes called mufletot and other sweets. The Mimouna has become an Israeli holiday, with those who lack North African roots visiting friends’ houses to take part in the celebration.