Snapshots and Singing as Ethiopian Citizens Celebrate Gratitude Festival

A multitude of vibrantly dressed participants assembled in downtown Addis Ababa for the yearly thanksgiving festival during recent days.

This thanksgiving celebration is honored by the Oromo people, the biggest population group, and takes place at the conclusion of the country's major rainy season.

Annually, celebrants assemble around holy water bodies to show appreciation to their divine beings for the greenery that the rainy season have delivered.

"I've been celebrating Irreecha for the last nine years," commented 25-year-old one attendee.

"In my view, the celebration embodies my heritage, it demonstrates the dignity and significance of my community."

Men, ladies, the senior citizens and the younger generation all join in, ornamented in eye-catching garments and accessories.

They sing, move rhythmically, exchange narratives and arrange newly gathered green plants and flowers in water - denoting existence, regeneration and aspiration.

Global Attendance

Irreecha not only draws individuals from all regions of Ethiopia, attendees travel from globally.

"I visited the previous year - it was wonderful, so magnificent, I brought along my kids with me this year," mentioned an international guest, hailing from Belfast in Northern Ireland.

"It's wonderful. Everybody welcomes you, all attendees shows warmth and says welcome."

Celebration Schedule

The first day of the celebration took place on recently in the capital. On the next day, celebrants made their way to a provincial location, a settlement near the capital.

While the festival has its foundations in traditional beliefs, it is now celebrated by the majority of the Oromo people, irrespective of their religion.

Contemporary Changes

In the past decade, the quantity of people participating in the festival has expanded substantially. This is in part thanks to the expansion of online networks, where numerous young people capture their clothing, traditional dances and singing during the celebration.

Past Context

In the previous years, the festival was functioned as a venue for political demonstrations - the ethnic group have consistently raised issues about systemic disadvantages.

However, the recent event unfolded peacefully, with an emphasis on happiness, togetherness and cultural pride.