Photos and Chanting as Ethiopians Observe Gratitude Festival
Tens of thousands of vibrantly dressed attendees gathered in downtown Addis Ababa for the traditional gratitude celebration over the past days.
This thanksgiving celebration is observed by the Oromo community, the biggest community, and occurs at the completion of the land's major rainy season.
Annually, celebrants come together around revered natural water sources to show appreciation to their higher powers for the fertile landscape that the rainy season have provided.
"I've been celebrating this celebration for the past nine years," stated twenty-five-year-old a participant.
"In my view, the celebration symbolizes my cultural background, it showcases the pride and importance of my ethnic group."
Gentlemen, women, the elderly and the young all take part, ornamented in eye-catching clothes and jewellery.
They sing, perform traditional dances, tell tales and place newly gathered foliage and floral arrangements in the water - representing vitality, rebirth and optimism.
Worldwide Participation
Irreecha brings in participants from throughout the country, attendees come from globally.
"I attended the previous year - it was wonderful, so beautiful, I brought along my offspring with me this year," said an international guest, originating from Belfast in Northern Ireland.
"It is amazing. All people greets you, everyone offers affection and offers greetings."
Festival Program
The initial day of the festival occurred on Saturday in Addis Ababa. On the following day, festival-goers made their way to a provincial location, a small town just outside the urban center.
Although the festival has its foundations in traditional beliefs, it is now practiced by the larger part of Oromos, regardless of their faith.
Modern Developments
In the past decade, the quantity of participants participating in the festival has expanded substantially. This is partially because of the growth of online networks, where various younger generation document their clothing, traditional dances and vocal performances during the gathering.
Historical Context
In the past, the festival was served as a venue for public dissent - the Oromo community have long complained about systemic disadvantages.
Nonetheless, the recent event proceeded harmoniously, with an emphasis on joy, togetherness and cultural pride.
