Abstract
The subject of the paper is the description and analysis of the phenomenon of moussems - city festivals that take place in Morocco from April to August. The current moussems, in comparison with their traditional sacral form, represent an international, secular and institutionalized festivity that is systematically modified and supported by the Moroccan king in order to develop tourism and preserve local cultural traditions.
The objective of the paper is to describe the creation of moussems that originally celebrated the birth or death of saints in the rural environment and they offered an opportunity for nomadic tribes from the mountains to meet. Most importantly, it describes the transformation of moussems into a city festivity whose current form and functions serve the purpose of enhancing national identity, legitimacy and power of the monarchy as well as emphasizing the diversity of Morocco's tangible and intangible heritage.
In the end of the paper, the transformation of moussems and possibilities how they could be used is illustrated using the example of the Festival des Musiques Sacrées du Monde in Fez.