Daily Archives: September 24, 2026
Peace Celebrations Behind the Storm: The “Festival Politics” of Oromia and Tigray
FINFINNE — When the Oromo thanksgiving festival Irreecha and the Ethiopian Orthodox Meskel festival arrive in the capital and surrounding areas within two weeks of each other, the official messaging is strikingly uniform: everything is for peace.
Mardasa, Director of the Oromia Bureau of Administration and Security and Peace Commissioner, stated that security agencies have made full preparations to celebrate both festivals “in a peaceful manner and under the traditions of unity and coexistence.” The federal police have also pledged to deploy adequate forces at Hora Finfinne, Hora Harsadi, and other locations.
Yet behind this placid official statement, Ethiopia in 2026 faces its most severe security situation since the end of the Tigray war in 2022. For a country mired in multi-front conflicts, the “security preparations” for two festivals are far from routine.
Surface Calm and Deep Fear
Irreecha is the single most important thanksgiving celebration for the Oromo people, marking the end of the rainy season and the beginning of the harvest. This year’s Irreecha will be held on Meskerem 23 and 24 in the Ethiopian calendar (October 3 and 4 in the Gregorian calendar) at Hora Finfinne in Addis Ababa and Hora Harsadi in Bishoftu. Masqala took place two weeks earlier in mid-September, with the Demera bonfire ceremony at Meskel Square in the capital drawing large crowds.
Official statements emphasize “coordinated cooperation between security agencies and religious leaders, Gadaa elders, Siinqee women’s representatives, and youth,” and call on the public to “immediately report any suspicious circumstances to the nearest security agency.” This phrasing itself reveals tension.
The concern is not unfounded. During the 2016 Irreecha celebration in Bishoftu, clashes between police and protesters triggered a stampede that killed at least 52 people, becoming a turning point for large-scale anti-government protests in Oromia. At that time, protesters raised crossed wrists—a gesture that later became a symbol of resistance—and advanced toward the stage. Police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets, and people fell into deep ditches as they fled.
A decade later, the political fractures in that land are far from healed.
“Peace” Under Siege
Peace Commissioner Mardasa’s statement was issued at an extremely delicate moment. Just days earlier, seven armed groups announced an alliance aimed at “overthrowing” Prime Minister Abiy’s federal government. Alliance members include the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the Amhara Fano militia, and the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA)—organizations whose historical enmity runs so deep that their union itself is a signal.
The federal government now faces armed insurgencies on three fronts simultaneously: Tigray, Amhara, and Oromia. Against this backdrop, the large gatherings for Irreecha and Masqala are both a security challenge and a political litmus test: can the government maintain effective control over the capital and surrounding areas in a wartime posture?
The U.S. State Department’s travel advisory lists large parts of Oromia at “Do Not Travel” level, citing “risks of armed conflict, kidnapping, and unrest.” Finland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs warns that Ethiopia’s “political and ethnic tensions have led to an unstable situation, and unrest may further intensify.” A clear temperature gap exists between these international assessments and the official “everything is ready” posture.
The Dual Function of Festivals
Irreecha has never been merely a religious festival. In the Oromo Gadaa tradition, it is the transition from the “dark season” to the “light season,” a moment for the community to collectively wash away the misfortunes of the past year and pray for a bountiful year ahead. But in contemporary Ethiopia, it is also the largest-scale staging ground for Oromo identity politics.
Similarly, Masqala has a unique cultural embedding in the Oromia region. Academic research documents that during Masqala, Oromo communities perform Garmaama singing, which carries the collective emotional expression of “joy, sorrow, love, and longing,” a cultural ritual of “transition from the old era to the new.”
When these festivals are framed by officials under the banner of “peace and unity,” a sharp question emerges: who defines “peace”? Is it community reconciliation in the Gadaa elders’ tradition, or order and stability under federal government rule?
Peace Commissioner Mardasa’s statement repeatedly emphasizes coordination between “security agencies” and “community leaders,” but the real question may be: when community leaders themselves become a party to political contestation, are festival celebrations an opportunity for unity or a fuse for conflict?
The Risk of Silence
Addis Ababa police say they have made “coordinated preparations” for the Demera ceremony at Meskel Square, but as of press time, authorities have not published any specific traffic control plans, crowd management measures, or security deployment details for any single day. The Oromo Abbaa Gadaa Council frames this year’s Irreecha as an expression of “national consensus,” but in Ethiopia’s current context, that phrase reads more like a prayer than a description.
For the millions about to travel to Hora Finfinne and Hora Harsadi, the reality they face is: a government fighting on multiple fronts simultaneously, an armed opposition that has just formed an anti-government alliance, and a traumatic memory that cost 52 lives a decade ago.
The Peace Commissioner’s statement ends with a blessing: “May you return safely in this harvest season.” In this harvest season, the weight of those words is heavier than ever.
Advocacy for Oromia Rejects Northern Forces Alliance, Demands Genuine Security and Respect for Oromo Gains
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 21, 2026 — Advocacy for Oromia has issued a formal statement rejecting the alliance recently concluded with northern forces, condemning it as a political maneuver that fails to address the fundamental grievances of the Oromo people. In its statement, the organization outlined four key demands:
- The government must engage in dialogue with armed groups operating within Oromia in order to establish genuine and sustainable security for the region.
- Armed groups operating within Oromia must refrain from any actions that harm Oromo interests, and must cease all activities that undermine the wellbeing of the Oromo people.
- Armed groups operating within Oromia must work together in coordination to ensure the security of Oromia, placing unity of purpose above division.
- All parties must firmly safeguard and uphold the victories achieved by the Oromo people, ensuring that no agreement or political arrangement dishonors or diminishes those hard-won gains.
Advocacy for Oromia emphasized that any political framework that fails to recognize the historical suffering of the Oromo people — spanning the imperial era, the Derg regime, the EPRDF government, and the current administration — cannot serve as a legitimate basis for peace or justice. The organization warned that alliances built on the omission of past wrongs risk perpetuating the same structural injustices that have long afflicted Oromia.
The statement further criticized the recent alliance for portraying the current crisis as an aberration rather than the inevitable consequence of centuries of Oromo subjugation, insisting that genuine transformative justice — not symbolic recognition — is the only path forward.
Advocacy for Oromia reaffirmed its commitment to the liberation, justice, and systemic change sought by the Oromo people, declaring that mere survival is not enough.
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Gadaa Maccaa: Ceremonies of Baallii Transfer, Oofkaltii, and Buttaa Qaluu Underway Across East Maccaa, Liiban
Kallacha Oromiyaa, Fulbaana 13, 2019 — The Oromo people are a nation that created the Gadaa system and gifted it to the world. Now, in a powerful return to ancient traditions, the Maccaa Oromo are strengthening, renewing, and revitalizing their Gadaa system across West Shawa Zone.
The Government of Oromia Region has been working to promote and revitalize Oromo culture, strengthening the pillars of the Gadaa system. In line with this effort, the Maccaa Oromo community is actively reinforcing its Gadaa system through a series of traditional ceremonies.
The Ceremonies Underway
In various districts of West Shawa Zone, the rituals of Oofkaltii (preparation) and Buttaa Qaluu (the cutting of the buttaa) are being conducted as part of the Baallii transfer ceremony — the sacred passage of authority from one Gadaa grade to the next.
The Baallii transfer is one of the most significant moments in the Gadaa cycle. It marks the formal transition of power, responsibility, and leadership from the outgoing grade to the incoming one. The Buttaa ceremony — the ritual cutting of the buttaa — symbolizes the clearing of the path for the new leadership, the enactment of laws that will govern the next eight years, and the renewal of the community’s covenant with Waaqa (God) and with one another.
Conducted According to Tradition
These ceremonies are being carried out in full accordance with Oromo culture, tradition (duudhaa), and sacred norms (safuu). The elders, Abbaa Gadaas, and community leaders are overseeing the process to ensure that every ritual is performed correctly and that the integrity of the Gadaa system is preserved.
The Oofkaltii — the period of preparation — involves the training and initiation of those who will assume leadership roles in the new Gadaa grade. It is a time of learning, reflection, and spiritual readiness. The Buttaa Qaluu then formally seals this transition, marking the beginning of a new eight-year cycle of governance, justice, and community service.
A Living Heritage
The Gadaa system, recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, remains a living, breathing institution among the Oromo people. It regulates political, economic, social, and religious life, providing a framework for democracy, conflict resolution, environmental stewardship, and the protection of rights.
The Maccaa Oromo’s active observance of these ceremonies is a testament to the resilience and vitality of Oromo culture. Despite centuries of suppression and the pressures of modernization, the Gadaa system continues to be passed down from generation to generation — unbroken and undiminished.
A Source of Pride and Identity
For the Oromo people, the Gadaa system is not merely a historical relic. It is a source of pride, identity, and belonging. It is a gift to humanity — a model of democratic governance, peaceful power transfer, and community solidarity that predates many modern political systems.
As the Baallii transfer, Oofkaltii, and Buttaa ceremonies continue across West Shawa, the Maccaa Oromo are reaffirming their commitment to their ancestors’ wisdom and to the future generations who will inherit this sacred tradition.
Baga oofkaltan! Gadaan quufa fi gabbina!
Source: BATO
Why Water Is So Important in Religious Practice Across the World
Water is the most universal symbol in human spirituality. From the Ganges to the Jordan, from the Zamzam well to the Gadaa springs of Oromia, virtually every faith tradition on Earth places water at the center of its most sacred rituals. The reasons are both practical and profound — rooted in the basic facts of human survival and in the deepest questions of meaning, purity, and renewal.
Water as the Source of Life
The most fundamental reason water is sacred is that it is the source of all life. Every civilization in history has understood that without water, there is no life — no crops, no animals, no human community. This biological reality translates naturally into spiritual reverence.
In the Oromo tradition, this understanding is explicit: water bodies are places where the spirit of Waaqa (God) resides, and the Irreechaa festival draws millions to rivers and lakes to give thanks for rain, fertility, and abundance. Similarly, in ancient Egypt, the Nile was worshipped as a god; in Hinduism, the Ganges is a goddess; in Islam, the Quran states that “We made from water every living thing” (21:30). The recognition of water as the physical basis of life makes it the natural vessel for the spiritual force that sustains life.
Water as a Purifier
Nearly every religion uses water for purification — washing away not just physical dirt but spiritual impurity. This is one of the most consistent patterns in the study of religion.
In Christianity, baptism symbolizes the washing away of sin and the beginning of new life. In Islam, wudu (ritual ablution) precedes prayer, and ghusl (full-body washing) is required after major impurities. In Judaism, the mikveh is a ritual bath used for spiritual cleansing. In Hinduism, bathing in sacred rivers like the Ganges is believed to cleanse sins accumulated over lifetimes. In Shinto, misogi involves purification in waterfalls and rivers. In the Oromo Gadaa system, water in Irreechaa rituals is used to wash away conflict and restore peace.
The logic is consistent: water dissolves and carries away. Just as it removes physical grime, it is believed to remove moral and spiritual stain — restoring the individual to a state of purity before the divine.
Water as the Boundary Between Worlds
Anthropologists have long observed that water often serves as a threshold — a boundary between the ordinary and the sacred, the living and the dead, the human and the divine.
Rivers mark the edge of the underworld in Greek mythology (the Styx), the boundary of the promised land in the Hebrew Bible (the Jordan), and the passage to enlightenment in Buddhism (the crossing of the river). In many traditions, crossing water — or being immersed in it — represents a transition: from death to life (baptism), from sin to forgiveness, from ignorance to awakening.
In Oromo tradition, the riverside (malkaa) where Irreechaa is celebrated is precisely such a threshold — a meeting place between the human community and the divine presence of Waaqa. The act of dipping fresh grass into the water and sprinkling it is a way of drawing the sacred across that boundary and into the community.
Water as a Mirror of the Divine
Water’s reflective surface has made it a natural symbol of the divine. It mirrors the sky, the heavens, and the face of the one who looks into it. In many mystical traditions, the calm surface of water represents the purified soul capable of reflecting God’s image.
This is present in the Oromo practice of gathering at still lakes (Hora) — the mirrored surface of the water symbolizes the peace (nagaa) that the community seeks. In Christian mysticism, the “living water” that Jesus offers is a metaphor for the Holy Spirit. In Sufi poetry, the reflection in water symbolizes the soul’s mirroring of the beloved Divine.
Water as a Source of Healing
Water is widely associated with healing — both physical and spiritual. Pilgrimages to sacred springs and rivers are a global phenomenon: Lourdes in France, the Ganges in India, the Zamzam well in Mecca, and countless local springs across Africa and the Americas.
Research confirms that “blue spaces” — environments with water — promote mental health, reduce stress, and enhance well-being. This scientific finding echoes what religious traditions have known for millennia: water restores. In the Oromo tradition, the healing power of water at Irreechaa is both spiritual and psychological — the community gathers at the water’s edge to renew mind, body, and spirit.
Water as a Symbol of Community
Finally, water is often a communal symbol. It flows and gathers, connecting people and places. Rivers bring communities together; wells are shared gathering places; rain falls on all regardless of status or wealth.
The Oromo Irreechaa festival draws millions of people to the same water sites, celebrating together in a shared and unified manner. This communal dimension of water is present in the Jewish mikveh, the Islamic hammam, and the Christian baptismal font — all places where individuals are incorporated into a larger community of faith.
A Universal Language of the Sacred
Water’s importance across religious traditions is not a coincidence. It reflects something deep in the human condition: our dependence on water for life, our need for cleansing, our longing for renewal, and our search for connection with the divine and with one another.
Whether it is the fresh grass dipped into the Oromo river, the waters of baptism, the ablution before Islamic prayer, or the immersion in the Ganges, water speaks a language that every human being understands. It is the universal symbol of life, purity, transition, and hope.
And wherever humans gather at water’s edge to pray, they are repeating an act as old as humanity itself — and as meaningful as it has ever been.
Why Fresh Grass and Water Are Essential in Oromo Blessings
In Oromo culture, fresh grass (Marga Jiidhaa) and water are far more than simple elements of nature. They are sacred symbols that carry the deepest meanings of life, fertility, peace, and divine connection. They transform abstract blessings into visible, tangible rituals and serve as the medium through which humans communicate with Waaqa (God).
Fresh Grass (Marga Jiidhaa): The Symbol of Life and Fertility
In Oromo culture, fresh grass is the most direct expression of life force and abundance.
The Meaning of “Irreechaa” Itself: The very word “Irreechaa” — the grand Oromo thanksgiving festival — means “fresh and green grass.” The festival celebrates the end of the rainy season and the renewal of all life, and fresh grass is the most vivid sign of that season.
The Carrier of Life: Grass is the food of livestock — the foundation of Oromo wealth and survival. When animals eat grass, they grow strong, produce milk, and reproduce. Fresh grass is therefore seen as a symbol of fertility, productivity, and prosperity.
The Medium of Blessing: During Irreechaa rituals, people hold fresh grass and dip it into water, then sprinkle the water on themselves and others. This is not merely an act of thanksgiving — it is a way of transferring the “life force” of the grass and the “purifying power” of the water to the participants, praying for health and offspring. In Gadaa blessing prayers, phrases like “may the grass grow (margi nimarga)” are common, placed alongside rain, livestock reproduction, and peace as manifestations of divine grace.
Water (Bishaan): The Source of Purity, Holiness, and Peace
Water in Oromo blessings holds both material and spiritual significance. It is the dwelling place of sacred power.
The Dwelling of God and Divine Gift: In traditional Oromo belief, rivers and lakes are sacred — they are places where the spirit of Waaqa (God) resides. Water bodies like Hora (sacred springs/lakes) are themselves considered blessings from Waaqa, possessing healing and fertility-giving powers. Infertile women may wet their chests with water, believing it will make their wombs fertile.
Purification and Reconciliation: Water symbolizes “cleansing” and “purification.” One of the core rituals of Irreechaa is the act of libation — dipping fresh grass into water and sprinkling it — which symbolizes washing away the sins and conflicts of the past year, achieving reconciliation, and welcoming a new beginning in a purified state.
The Metaphor of Peace: In Oromo thought, “Nagaa” (peace) is the foundation of all blessings. They believe that only when humans live in peace with nature, with God, and with one another can fertility and abundance be achieved. Water, through its flowing and gathering nature, symbolizes this universal connection, unity, and harmony. Blessings pray for “peace to descend upon our land,” and water is the physical embodiment of that peace.
The Union of Both: The Sacred Blessing Ritual
The combination of fresh grass and water creates the most powerful sacred moment in Oromo blessings. In rituals like Irreechaa, people dip fresh grass into water, and this very act is a prayer:
- Connection: Fresh grass represents the earth and life; water represents the sacred and purification. Together, they symbolize offering the life of the earth to God and praying for God’s blessings to return to humanity through the water.
- Transmission: Participants then sprinkle the sacred water on themselves and others, symbolizing the receiving and sharing of God’s grace, life force, and the blessing of peace.
Therefore, in Oromo blessings, fresh grass and water are ritual tools that fuse “life” with “the sacred.” Without them, blessings would lose their concrete form and power — they could not truly “touch” and “transform” the participants. They are the visible signs of an invisible grace, the tangible carriers of divine blessing.
