(A4O)  Melbourne Oromo celebrates Oromo Thanksgiving Day  on Sunday 4 October 2015 at Wilson Botanical Park.

Irreechaa festival is certainly fun for the kids, but more importantly, it gives them a real understanding and appreciation of the Oromian culture. The decorations definitely signified Oromian diversity.
That’s how exiled Oromo in Melbourne see the local manifestation of one of their homeland’s biggest celebrations. So it is with Irreechaa 2015: The 6409^th annual Oromo Irreechaa Festival.

Organisers  would like for displaced Oromo people to have that same kind of experience that they would have at home.

“The basic thing about this is that we can feel like we’re back in our hometown in Oromia,” committee member Abdeta Homa said.

Victoria Multicultural Commission Chairperson Helen Kapalos was delighted to attend the Irreechaa Birra annual thanksgiving celebration for the Oromo people of Victoria.

Many Oromo believe that it is also a way to share a bit of Oromia with others.

Irreechaa festival began in the 2007 in Melbourne by few community members.

Irreechaa festival is one of the ancient Cushitic Civilization of Northeastern Africa – dating back more than 6000 years.