Irreechaa

rdf:langString Irreechaa

rdf:langString Irreechaa

rdf:langString Entertainment

rdf:langString

rdf:langString Social gathering with family

rdf:langString Irreechaa

rdf:langString Ethiopia

rdf:langString Kenya

rdf:langString

rdf:langString Irreecha Festival in 2019 at Addis Ababa

rdf:langString In October every year

rdf:langString National, cultural

rdf:langString October

rdf:langString Irreechaa

rdf:langString Cultural

rdf:langString 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 and Hora Harsadi, Bishoftu, Oromia 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 the nation's and Oromia's capital Addis Ababa for the first time in 150 years, 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.