The Flower Festival in Constantine Gave the Country a Stamp of Honour and Distinction

With abundant valleys full of blooming flowers, fresh breeze, and clear sky; spring is not only a time for rebirth and rejuvenation, but also a time for celebration. All over the world, cultures have embraced customs and festivities to celebrate the beginning of this season. Constantine is no exception .As spring is in the air, you’re bound to see Constantine people, women in particular, rolling up their sleeves preparing for the annual tradition of flower distillation.The aroma of flowers from bitter orange trees and rose geraniums waft through Constantine streets during the months of April and May. Every April, farmers start harvesting the flowers of bitter orange trees and rose geraniums. The harvested flowers are sold in local markets in large and round flat baskets where they are purchased by Constantine women. After purchase, the flowers must be dried in the sun for two weeks. Once dried, the women of a neighbourhood often gather to begin the distillation process. Usually, they have their own still in which they put the dried flowers and cover them with cold water. They boil them until steam rises and little drops of liquid called “the spirit of the flowers “start to form. The water is then preserved in special Fiasco bottles that are often decorated. The aforesaid process entails its own specific tools: a giant oval-shaped copper pan used as a lower part of the distiller (Tanjarah). A distiller head (Rass Al-Qattar) with two main condensing tubes: a straight tube (always sealed),and a tilting one-a condenser-with a tap fitting the mouth of the decanter(the bottle in which the essence drips).The distilled water is then used either as a perfume or as an aromatic ingredient in cooking in many dishes and sweets. .It is also used for beauty purposes as well as in the medicine sector. Flower distillation is a tradition that has survived for ages and continues to play an important role in depicting Constantine culture. The town welcomes visitors who come to watch the harvesting and distilling of the flowers. The flower distillation is a spring custom, but it also provides job opportunities. Women who distil flowers in their homes often sell a part of what they produce. Yet, it is worth to say that many women today cannot distil flowers on their own so they prefer to buy it ready made, the thing that threatens the continuity of the flower festival.