
Exclusive Interviews | Jan 04,2020
It started early on Friday morning, and it kept on going uninterrupted for more than 24 hours into Saturday afternoon. A sound of rhythmically coordinated footsteps, faster than walking but not quite jogging, in perfect synchronisation with the beats of acapella songs.
It started early on Friday morning, and it kept on going uninterrupted for more than 24 hours into Saturday afternoon. A sound of rhythmically coordinated footsteps, faster than walking but not quite jogging, in perfect synchronisation with the beats of acapella songs.
It was a train of groups of people singing and moving in harmony that poured into the heart of Addis Abeba, Mesqel Square, from all corners of the country to celebrate Irreechaa: a thanksgiving festival for the Oromo people. They formed a sea of white, red and black – the colours of the flag of the Oromo Regional State – as the large crowd gathered for the festivities and various events organised at different venues throughout the city.
They formed a sea of white, red and black – the colours of the flag of the Oromo Regional State – as the large crowd gathered for the festivities and various events organised at different venues throughout the city.
Elders kicked off the festivities by offering prayers of thanksgiving and blessings in the main event that was held in Mesqel Square on Friday, October 4, 2019. There was a cultural show, a brass band and performances by famous singers.
On Saturday the focus was the thanksgiving ceremony held early in the morning in the new park recently completed adjacent to Mesqel Square. Irreechaa is a festival celebrated under the Oromo culture every year at the beginning of the sunny season, which is usually observed in the last week of September or the first week of October. It is an expression of gratitude for the blessings of the previous year and for surviving the tough rainy season. It is also an expression of hope for the coming harvest.
At the conclusion of the celebration that was held in the capital for the first time, the singing crowd of all age groups and diverse localities continued the rhythmic march to Bishoftu, the original home of the event. The celebration has continued today, October 11, 2019, at the sacred grounds of Lake Hora Harsadi.
PUBLISHED ON
Oct 05,2019 [ VOL
20 , NO
1014]
Exclusive Interviews | Jan 04,2020
Letter To Editor | Nov 16,2019
Viewpoints | Dec 28,2019
Fortune News | Jun 29,2019
Viewpoints | Dec 28,2019
Fortune News | Sep 28,2019
Fortune News | Feb 23,2019
Fortune News | Jul 20,2019
Fortune News | Jan 26,2019
Exclusive Interviews | Jan 05,2020
January 16 , 2021
It was a sunny day on September 12, 1974. A machine gun mounted on top of a tank was...
January 3 , 2021 . By ABDUREZAK LESMAN
Women wearing netela, a white cotton garment with woven coloured borders, and men in...
December 26 , 2020 . By MAYA MISIKIRÂ
Black and white markings on their legs and large semi-circular rimmed horns that stre...
December 12 , 2020
Dietrich Rogge, founder and CEO of Rockstone, a German-based real estate developer an...
January 16 , 2021
It was a sunny day on September 12, 1974. A machine gun mounted on top of a tank was...
January 9 , 2021
There is something curious about elections that have been conducted in Ethiopia since...
January 2 , 2021
One by one, Workneh Gebeyehu (PhD), executive secretary of the Intergovernmental Auth...
December 26 , 2020
It is refreshing to see a publicised high-level government meeting become somewhat co...
Put your comments here