In a heartwarming cultural demonstration, young students proudly showcase the traditions of Oromo thanksgiving.

A Feature Story | Education & Cultural Preservation | April 2026

PROLOGUE: The Future Honoring the Past

In a small but powerful ceremony, a group of Grade 3 students recently demonstrated how the sacred Oromo festival of Irreecha is celebrated. With grass in their hands, traditional attire on their shoulders, and songs on their lips, these young children proved a timeless truth:

Culture does not die when it is taught to the young.

The demonstration was not merely a school performance. It was an act of cultural preservation. It was a statement that the Oromo identity – suppressed for generations – is alive, thriving, and being passed deliberately to the next generation.

PART ONE: What Is Irreecha?

Before understanding the significance of the students’ demonstration, one must understand Irreecha itself.

Irreecha is not merely a festival. It is the spiritual and cultural heartbeat of the Oromo people. For centuries, even when it was suppressed, Oromos found ways to gather at water bodies, raise their hands in prayer, and thank their Creator.

Today, Irreecha is celebrated openly – in Finfinne’s Hora Finfinne, in Bishoftu’s Hora Arsadi, and in cities across North America, Europe, Australia, and the Middle East.

PART TWO: The Demonstration – What the Students Did

The Grade 3 students, dressed in traditional Oromo attire, gathered to reenact the Irreecha celebration.

What They Wore

What They Did

The students:

• Carried wet grass (marga jiidhaa) – a central element of Irreecha representing new life and gratitude
• Wore traditional clothing with pride and respect
• Sang Irreecha songs (sirba guyyaa ayyaanichaa) that have been passed down through generations
• Demonstrated the proper way to approach water bodies for thanksgiving
• Raised their hands in symbolic prayer – imitating the elders who bless Waaqa for the harvest

The demonstration was not a mockery or a simplified “children’s version.” It was a faithful, respectful reenactment – showing that even the youngest Oromos can carry the weight of their heritage.

PART THREE: The Significance of Children Celebrating Irreecha

Why does it matter that Grade 3 students – children of approximately 8-9 years old – are learning and demonstrating Irreecha?

Reason One: Breaking the Cycle of Erasure

For generations, Oromo culture was suppressed.

When children are not taught their culture, culture dies within one generation. When children are taught their culture, culture lives forever.

“The grave is not the end of a people. The end comes when the children no longer know the songs.”

Reason Two: Pride Over Shame

Older generations of Oromos grew up feeling shame about their identity. They were told their language was “backward,” their traditions “primitive,” their festivals “pagan.”

When young children stand proudly in traditional clothing, singing traditional songs, carrying grass to honor Waaqa – that is decolonization in action. That is the replacement of shame with pride.

Reason Three: Cultural Continuity

Irreecha is not a static relic of the past. It is a living tradition. Living traditions require living practitioners. By teaching Grade 3 students how to celebrate Irreecha, the community ensures that:

• The songs will be sung next year
• The grass will be carried next generation
• The hands will be raised in gratitude forever

PART FOUR: The Role of Schools in Cultural Preservation

The fact that this demonstration took place in a school setting is significant.

When schools teach Oromo culture – including Irreecha – they:

• Legitimize traditions that were once banned
• Ensure equal access to cultural knowledge
• Create a permanent place for Oromo heritage in formal education
• Prepare students to be proud, knowledgeable Oromos in a globalized world

“The classroom is not separate from culture. Culture belongs in the classroom – especially for children whose culture was once forbidden there.”

PART FIVE: The Songs of Irreecha – A Living Archive

The students sang sirba guyyaa ayyaanichaa – the songs of Irreecha. These songs are not mere entertainment.

When children learn these songs, they inherit not just melodies – but worldviews, values, and memory.

PART SIX: What the Demonstration Represents

The Grade 3 students’ Irreecha demonstration is a small event with enormous meaning.

PART SEVEN: A Message to the Oromo Community

To the parents, elders, teachers, and community leaders who made this demonstration possible:

Thank you.

Thank you for ensuring that the children know their songs.
Thank you for dressing them in traditional clothing.
Thank you for teaching them to carry the grass.
Thank you for showing them how to raise their hands to Waaqa.

You are not just teaching culture. You are securing the future.

To the Grade 3 students who demonstrated Irreecha:

You are the future.

One day, you will be the elders. One day, you will teach your own children. One day, you will explain to them what Irreecha means.

And you will remember: I learned this when I was young. I have always known who I am.

PART EIGHT: A Call to Other Schools

This demonstration should not be an exception. It should be a model.

Every school with Oromo students has a responsibility to teach Oromo culture. Not as a token “multicultural day” – but as core curriculum.

CONCLUSION: The Grass Will Never Wither

The wet grass (marga jiidhaa) that the Grade 3 students carried is a symbol of life, fertility, and gratitude.

But there is another meaning.

The grass is green because it is connected to the earth. It draws life from the soil of Oromia. It bends in the wind but does not break.

That is the Oromo people.

We have bent. We have not broken.
We have suffered. We have survived.
We have been suppressed. We have risen.

And as long as our children carry the grass, sing the songs, and raise their hands to Waaqa – we will never be erased.

Final Tribute

To the Grade 3 students who demonstrated Irreecha:

You are young. But you are already carrying something heavy – the weight of your ancestors, the hope of your people, the future of your culture.

Do not let go.

Sing the songs until your voice is hoarse.
Wear the clothing until the fabric fades.
Carry the grass until your hands are green.

And when you have children of your own, teach them.

Because Irreecha is not a memory. It is a living prayer.
And you are the ones who keep it alive.

“The children carried grass. They sang songs. They wore their culture on their shoulders. And in doing so, they proved: the Oromo spirit does not fade. It is passed from hand to hand, from heart to heart, from generation to generation.” 🌿🇴🇲

Waaqni isin haa eegu.
May God protect you.

Irreecha keessan haa fudhatamu.
May your thanksgiving be accepted.

Aadaan Oromoo haa jiraatu.
May Oromo culture live forever.

© 2026 – Feature Story on Irreecha Cultural Demonstration