Oromo community celebrates Irreecha festival in Ethiopia

Thousands of Oromo people gathered in Bishoftu and Addis Ababa to celebrate the Irreecha festival, a traditional thanksgiving event marking the end of the rainy season and the start of the harvest.

In Bishoftu, participants congregated at Lake Hora Harsade to perform rituals involving songs, prayers, and the immersion of fresh green grass and flowers. The festivities included traditional blessings from the Aba Gadas, who called for peace, unity, and prosperity.

Similar large-scale celebrations, known as Irreecha Hora Finfinnee, took place in Addis Ababa under the theme ‘Irreecha for National Renaissance’. The festival is a cornerstone of the Oromo Gadaa sociopolitical system and is recognized by UNESCO as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.