In the male dominated Jewish religion it's good to find a unique festival that celebrates feminism.

In the male dominated Jewish religion it's good to find a festival celebrating feminism. The El Ghriba festival takes place at the synagogue in the village of Hara Sghira (Small Ghetto, now officially Erriadh) on the island of Djerba, off the coast of Tunisia.

El Ghriba has been a landmark on the island since the 7th century BC and is a place of Jewish pilgrimage every year on the Jewish holiday of Lag B'Omer, usually during the month of May.

Legends

One legend tells that a pious woman, a recluse named Ghriba, was killed in a house fire. When her body was removed from the ashes it was found to be undamaged by the flames. Local inhabitants buried her at the site of the disaster and in her honour they built a sanctuary subsequently named the Ghriba.

Another legend says that in approximately AD 600 a stone fell from heaven and a mysterious woman came forward to direct the building of a synagogue on the spot where the stone fell.

The present buildings

The present buildings are modern, dating from the 1920s. Externally they are the traditional white and blue colours typical of Tunisia but inside the walls and ceilings are brightly decorated with intricate mosaics.

The synagogue is home to one of North Africa's oldest Sefer Torahs. On the back wall of the synagogue there are thousands of silver plaques left by previous visitors.

El Ghriba remains an important Jewish site. A local woman told me there are over one thousand Jews, a small kosher restaurant and several synagogues on the island.

Pilgrims ask Ghriba for Favours

Today, at Lag b'Omer pilgrims from all over the world come to ask favours of Ghriba. Barren women ask for pregnancies and single women thank her when they find a soul mate. Visitors have even credited Ghriba with miraculous cures for any number of medical problems.

On entering the synagogue it's customary to remove your shoes and cover your head. The atmosphere is noisy with local residents offering visitors dried apricots and sugared almonds. The floor is slightly slippery from the melted wax from hundreds of candles.

At the back of the sanctuary is the entrance to an underground cave. This is the shrine itself. Visitors to the cave will take with them one or more raw eggs. They will write a name on each egg. It might be their own name or that of a friend or family member who wants to find a partner or have a child. The eggs are left in the cave over night to be cooked by the heat from hundreds of candles. The egg is then given to the person whose name it bears.

The festival begins with an American-style auction at which pictures of the synagogue are sold. It's a noisy affair accompanied by drums, dancing and shouting, mostly in Arabic and sometimes in French. In the synagogue courtyard local traders sell traditional sweetmeats, refreshments, jewellery, clothing and handicrafts.

The Grande Menara

At the heart of the celebration is the grande menara resembling a large candelabra and decorated with silverware and hundreds of multicoloured silk scarves.

The grande menara is paraded around the village followed by musicians, pilgrims and local inhabitants dancing, ululating, swaying and clapping.

After the procession the grande menara is put away for another year and villagers and visitors return to the courtyard to enjoy refreshments and more singing and dancing.

Further information can be obtained from The Information Officer, at theTunisian National Tourist Office

77a Wigmore Street, London W1U 1QF. Telephone +44 (0)20 7224 5561.