The unique preparations made for this year’s Irreechaa festival coupled with the large number of celebrants has raised the expectations of many for the economic potential that it creates.
Oromia is famous for its unique traditional dressing and cuisine. Cuukkoo, traditional food made of raosted and ground barley or Beso and butter. KoorSoddomee, butter, honey, tej, bunaqalaa, qocqocaa, qorii, akaayiinuugii, daadhii, dhodhoobboo, and keenboon traditional chocolate are some of the endemic food and drink at the exhibition.
Over the week an exhibition entitled ‘Irreechaa exhibition’ was held at Oromo Cultural Center here in Addis Ababa. The exhibition aimed at creating market for sellers of cultural clothes, food and drinks. A good number of cloth, food, and drinks factories have taken part in the exhibition, learnt from the host.
The celebration of Irreechaa or thanks giving by the Oromo people has economic significance beyond the ritual celebration. Economist Dr. Gutu Tesso said that the celebration attracts more tourists both from home and abroad. When the tourists come to the country to celebrate the event they spend finance.
Over six million people from across the country and abroad are expected to attend the event and for retailers making sales, people engaged in hotel and other will increase their business during the festival. Customers ordering different goods related to clothing and also food related goods. These allow companies or retailers with high sale volumes and easily increase their income.
Hundreds of thousand diaspora and other nationals from neighboring countries are also expected to attend the festival. Addis Ababa is home to nations and nationalities and hosting such great festival brings economic significance and over six million people is expected to attend the event and the city will obtain $USD3.5 billion, Gutu predicts.
Dr. WondimuTegegn, an exhibitor of Oromo cultural clothes, told The Ethiopian Herald that he provides quality, modern and stylish produces. They tell a lot about the history of Oromo such as Gadaa and Irreechaa. Besides, they are nearly as comfortable as casual clothes, as to the doctor.
The Doctor added that the exhibition is to equipping the attendants of the celebration with the necessary equipment on the celebration. It provides the cultural clothes and artifacts used at the celebration. On the occasion the elders and youths would be in their beautiful cultural clothes. The traditional costumes add beauty to the ceremony, he said.
Wondimu further explained that the exhibition would generate curiosity and awareness about the culture of Oromo in the viewers’ mind. Oromo has huge potential of cultural wealth that could attract tourism. Thus, the symposium could be one way of promoting the culture of the people, as to him.
Mustewrid Temam, another attendant of the exhibition, said Irreechaa is the place where unity of the Oromo is practically observed. He has been to the celebration at Hora Harsadii previously and observed the beauty at the scene, he pointed out.
Celebrating the occasion at Hora Finfinnee in Addis Ababa is expected to increase the number of attendant since the city’s strategic location. People from nearby cities and towns would easily travel to the city, he said.
Mustewrid described that Irreechaa as a thanks giving occasion for the passing of the hard time of the previous summer difficulties and thus, anyone can participate on the occasion regardless of religious identity, as to him.
Mohammed Abdella is a man who travelled all along from Adama to Addis Ababa to participate on the exhibition, said this year’s Irreechaa is special since large number of people is expected to attend it. Besides, the festivity is to be celebrated at Hora Finfinnee, the original place where it was celebrated about three generations back.
The Ethiopian Herald October 5/2019
BY GETAHUN LEGESSE and
HAILE DEMEKE
