Casablanca – Valentine’s may be celebrated on  a single day, but in Morocco, love is in the air from January to December.

Here, you might not often hear “I love you,” but you will definitely feel it.

The Moroccan way of expressing love is subtle. We definitely don’t hide our feelings, we just show them differently, à la marocaine!

Some might wonder how could love and restraint go together when they seem opposites? Sounds strange, doesn’t it? 

Well, this is the Moroccan way. Think of it as expressing feelings while keeping them contained – showing love in a way that protects us from feeling too vulnerable.

Moroccans often feel awkward saying “I love you” or openly showing affection. But they still find ways to show it gently and practically.

Take Moroccan mothers, for example. They won’t necessarily say “Kanbghik” (I love you), but you feel it through their actions. One of the main ways love is shown in Morocco is through food.

Cooking your favorite dish – without even asking – is a Moroccan sign of love. When they are  tired but still make an effort to prepare something you enjoy, that’s pure affection.

The irony is  that they still prepare it with love, but will call you aggressively to come eat before it cools. Another act of love, with a sprinkle of emotional spices.

Another common way Moroccans show love is by checking on you repeatedly. If you’re traveling or on your way home from work, expect a call or two (or twenty) to make sure you arrived safely. Some might see it as suffocating, but it’s their way of saying, “I care about you.”

This is Morocco. Love is expressed, but some feel uncomfortable if caught showing it. 

Sometimes, to ease the awkwardness, they switch to a foreign language. It just feels less exposing.

At the end of the day, saying “I love you” without action is meaningless. True feelings are shown through what we do, not just what we say.

Words matter too. Saying it out loud, along with showing it, is important. We need to hear it and tell others how much they mean to us. 

So maybe, just maybe, is it time to break the subtle habit of being unsubtly loved?