It is a traditional celebration held by the Algerian West Saharan Atlas town of Labiodh Sidi Cheikh.
Each year, other Sufi communities, as well as nomadic groups, make pilgrimages to the mausoleum of the Muslim mystic, Sidi Cheikh. The pilgrimage begins on the last Thursday in June, and it is followed by three days of religious rituals and secular events to commemorate the founder of the brotherhood.
The religious and secular celebrations take the form of a series of successive rituals in order to accommodate the thousands of pilgrims from the communities linked to the Shaykhiya, a Sufi Brotherhood founded by Sidi Shaykh.
A Shaykhiya recite the entire Holy Qur'an in one night by reciting it together in a ritual called the Selka. The ritual is performed until morning after the prayer of el Fadjr, when it is finished by a ceremony called the El Khetma. They are followed by the next scheduled ritual, the hymn, where the faithful sing and dance to praise Sidi Shaykh.
At the last ritual there are Equestrian games performed by the horse riders of the Shaykhiya brotherhood. These are performed by the communities affiliated to the Shaykhiya brotherhood from neighboring regions. While pilgrims and visitors are staying in these zawaya, descendants of Sidi Shaykh are offered free food and accommodation. Renewing ties and secular alliances with the Sufi brotherhood and ensuring peace and stability between communities, the pilgrimage continues to promote values such as hospitality, recitation of the Koran, secular chanting, and dances. This tradition contributes to the recent growth in Sufism while promoting values such as hospitality and a sense of community This festival includes an equestrian performance and fencing tournaments that involve more than 300 riders from different communities.
The spiritual knowledge is learned and passed down within families, while Sufi masters instruct their initiated students through formal teachings. Secular games and dances for men and women are taught within associations or transmitted through practice.
During the Sufi period, Sufis did not engage in religious or communal conflict. They aimed to contribute peacefully to civil society, and it is their attitude of acquiescence, adaptation, piety, and charisma that has helped Sufism remain a pillar of mystical Islam in Algeria to this day. Today, mystical tales, folk songs, and devotional practices are remembered in association with their teachings of love for God and the Prophet, and their devotional practices still attract all people.
References
(https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/annual-pilgrimage-to-the-mausoleum-of-sidi-abd-el-qader-ben-mohammed-sidi-cheikh-00660) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sufism_in_Algeria) (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333352796_The_Pilgrimage_to_the_Mausoleum_of_Sidi_Shaykh)