Happy Irreechaa 2016/2023
Irreecha (also called Irreessa or Dhibaayyuu), is thanksgiving holiday celebrating the end of the winter in Oromia Region, Ethiopia. The Oromo people celebrate Irreecha to thank Waaqa (God) for the blessings and mercies they have received throughout the previous year. The Irreecha festival is celebrated every year at the beginning of Birraa (Spring), new season after the dark and rainy winter season. It is attended by hundreds of thousands people. The thanksgiving is celebrated at sacred lakes across Oromia Region like the Hora Finfinne and Hora Harsadi, Bishoftu, Oromia Region as a whole. Once at the lake, festival-goers immerse freshly cut green grass and the flowers they are carrying and sprinkle themselves and place in water.
In 2019, the festival was celebrated in Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia and the regional state of Oromia, followed by Irreecha in Bishoftu. The 2020 Irreecha in Addis Ababa was celebrated by around 5,000 people due to political tension and the COVID-19 pandemic. Irreecha is also celebrated around the world where diaspora Oromos live especially in North America and Europe.
The 5th Irreechaa Peace Forum is underway
The 5th Irreechaa Peace Forum is underway in Addis Ababa under the theme ‘Irreecchaa: a Symbol of Unity and Fraternity.”
Chief Administrator of Oromia Regional State Shimelis, Mayor of Addis Ababa City Admiration, Adenech Abiebie, Minister of Culture and Sport, Kejela Merdasa and other high level government officials, religious fathers, and Abba Gadas, Hadha sinqee are attending the forum.
Irreechaa, Thanksgiving Day and prayer of Oromo people, is annually celebrated to mark the end of the rainy season and the beginning of the harvesting season.
The festival is observed to thank God for his blessings that the people cherish.
Preparation has been finalized to celebrate the festival in Addis Ababa and Bishoftu town on coming Sunday and Saturday respectively.
The grand public festival brings together millions of people from all corners of Oromia region and the country as well as diaspora community.
It is a special stage in which the people display its cultural and spiritual values including beauty, aesthetics, and unity to the world where cultural singing and dancing are common.
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