BY TEWODROS KASSA
Ethiopia is a country with diversified cultural assets and a home for more than 80 nations, nationalities and peoples who have their own colourful cultural festivals. Recently, the Dishta Gina festival, the New Year celebration of the Ari community, was celebrated in Jinka Town, South Omo Zone of the Southern Ethiopia.
The Dishta Gina festival of Ari People’s New Year is a traditional ceremony celebrated annually from the middle of November to the beginning of December. The festival preaches peace, love, unity, solidarity among human beings and promotes togetherness and development. It marks a bright transition from the old year and sought to bring new achievements among the Ari community.
South Omo Zone Culture and Tourism Department Culture and Heritage Research and Conservation Coordinator Dagne Gebre told local media that, the festival plays a fundamental role towards socio-economic development of the community. It has a paramount cultural value that plays a significant role in development, peace and solidarity.
“Dishta Gina is mainly performed by the fathers, where they give blessings for the New Year to bring peace, love and harmony. They also said that it is the festival of change that they celebrate it warmly by bidding farewell to the old year and welcoming the New Year looking optimistically,” he said.
Dishta Gina is a traditional New Year celebration that contains humanistic ideas such as empathy, mutual aid, forgiveness and reconciliation. Thus, it has great benefits for strengthening social cohesion and other cultural values of the community.
He pointed out that, utilizing various festivals’ social values will help to bring peace to the country, eradicate diseases, drive out hatreds and promote reconciliation. As to him, the social values of the festival include giving thanks, helping each other, expressing love, bringing peace, strengthening solidarity and maintaining cleanliness and beauty among the society.
The festival is celebrated with great zeal as it is done to welcome the New Year with peace and hope by getting rid of past resentments. Currently, various activities are being carried out as preservation of the festival is of great importance to strengthen peace and development. Wide promotion of the festival is one of the tasks being undertaken by pertinent stakeholders.
On his part, Jinka Town Mayor Kulal Kzhimak said that, this year’s festival is unique where the country and the zone have faced tremendous challenges and transcended into a new hope and peaceful environment. In the future, the Zone will take various measures to promote this wonderful cultural asset to benefit local people.
South Omo Zone Deputy Administrator and Security Office Head Tadesse Kaye said that, every stakeholder should exert efforts to promote such festivals as it nurtures togetherness and peace in the country. The community and cultural and tourism experts should also contribute their part to preserve and promote the festival.
The Cultural Policy of Ethiopia published in 2016 by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism also indicated that the cultural identity, diversity, and manifestation of a country’s nations, nationalities and peoples are significant resources for their members and the foundation for their social personality. It is necessary to protect these against destruction and to develop and strengthen them for sustainable development. Just as it had created the civilization of the past, culture is expected to serve today’s development efforts and shape tomorrow’s generation.
Dishta Gina festival is being celebrated in various traditional ceremonies in Ari zone including Jinka Town, South Ari, North Ari, Woba Ari and Baka Dawla Ari woredas starting from the middle of November. It has been indicated that the closing program of the festival will be held on December 10, 2022 in the presence of various invited guests.
The Ethiopian Herald December 9/2022
