Maichew, a historic town and the capital of Southern Tigray Zonal Administration, has hosted a colorful celebration this year’s Epiphany. Government of Tigray State decided to celebrate epiphany in Maichew since 2011.
Akeza Awalom (Ph.D) is a native of Raya Azebo, one of the Woredas in Southern Tigray zone. He is attending 2020s Epiphany in Maichew.
Akeza said that this year’s Timket celebration in Raya has outshined with the rayan traditional holiday celebration activities, clothes, songs and games.
“Timket in Raya is unique and colorful with the beautiful traditions in addition to the religious songs and celebrations”, Akeza added. The celebration he attended was also fascinating, colorful and unique.
For him the unique, beautiful and fascinating celebration of epiphany in Raya is yet not capitalized although the current activities of Tigray State efforts to celebrate in Maichew help to shine the unique cultural celebrations. He added that a lot of people out of Raya are attending the celebration, “still this is too little although a good move”.
The hura song, the traditional boffe costume, traditional wrestling by young men are few among the eye caching activities of the celebration side by side the songs and praying’s of the religious men, he stated.
Meanwhile, Maichew Town Culture and Tourism Office Head Tsehaynesh Niguse told The Ethiopian Herald that Epiphany in Raya is usually colorful with its unique phenomenon.
According to Tsehaynesh Tigray State has decided to celebrate Timket in Maichew Town to capitalize Rayan culture and to promote the tourist attraction of Southern Tigray since 2010/11. The celebration is becoming hot since 2015/16 and this year’s celebration was so colorful in Maichew Town and the rest of Rayan area (in Southern Tigray). “Over 100,000 participants are attending the Timket celebration only in Maichew”, she said.
In addition to the celebration additional activities were added to promote the cultural and traditional values of the area like tigil competition (wrestling), panel discussions on cultural values, and cultural sport competitions to promote Rayan cultural and traditional values, the head added.
Korem Town Culture and Tourism Office vice head, Hilina Abreha also told The Ethiopian Herald that Timket celebration in Raya is a colorful phenomenon what anyone wants to see from street carnivals and holidays.
For her in Korem area in addition to the religious songs, tigil (wrestling), horse riding, hura song, karsa (kind of hockey) game are part of the celebration where all celebrants wear their traditional Rayan Boffe.
The celebration of Epiphany in Raya is accompanied by Rayan traditional songs (mainly hura), Rayan cloth (Boffe), traditional clothes and cultural and traditional sport games starting from the eve of the celebration (Ketera).
The hura song, the famous Rayan traditional song is the main color of the celebration, a common and famous Rayan men song during holiday celebrations and weddings. In addition starting from the eve of epiphany in almost all parts of Raya youth’s play wrestling (also called it Qilis).
In Timket celebration almost all products like holiday costumes, all the songs, cosmetics and ornaments are originally from Rayan traditions. In other words they are “made in Raya”.
Men wear Netela, gombiso (boffe products only made in Raya), a shoe made from leather known only in Raya called Shifay Chame and used a stick prepared seriously and put comb on their hair. Women also wear beffe products (dress, tiftif and maymayo), dressing their hair traditionally and used traditional cosmetics like insosila, better, traditional eye shadow and ornaments like gem, kacho in their hand (made from plants or from skull) to emphasize their beauty.
After all this preparations both men and women are attending the celebration and then the traditional songs and plays started accompanying the Ark’s.
Tsehay says Raya is rich in tourist attractions with tangible and intangible heritages. Although timket is celebrating in all parts of Ethiopia, the Rayan celebration is unique although untold to attract more tourists.
Akeza argues that although Timket celebration is one; Rayan culture is untouched, untapped and unsearched. For him to keep the traditional values and cultures including the Timket celebration, it has to be researched and documented by asking the elders.
In this case the regional and local administrations, Rayan scholars and the youth should fulfill their responsibility to capitalize the native and beautiful culture. He strongly argued that to protect the traditional values there should be Raya cultural center mainly to research the traditional values, holiday celebrations and other social activities.
He argued that if the Rayan scholars and administrations work for the development of Rayan values, it attracts any one to enjoy the unique, native cultural phenomena.
Wrestling is one of the games during Timket celebration in Raya
Raya girls in beutiful Raya dress
The Ethiopian Herald January 25/2020
BY DARGIE KAHSAY
