Participants

The Irreecha ceremony does not only attract Oromo worshippers who believe in Waaqa. It also attracts large numbers of mainly moderate Christian and Muslim Oromo from Ethiopia and abroad. Quite a large number of Oromo came from various European and North American countries to celebrate Irreecha. There are also foreign and local tourists who travel there out of curiosity. In addition, there are a few foreign and many local journalists, as well as some researchers observing the rituals and conducting interviews. As the large number of attendees creates a distinct opportunity for business, it also attracts a large number of retailers who sell food items, soft drinks and homemade alcoholic drinks, coffee, ornaments, traditional clothes, scarves and t-shirts advertising the ceremony. Other individuals who come

285 It is made up of two independent Oromic terms: Hora meaning lake and sadi meaning three. The two words together have therefore the meaning of ‘three lakes’.

286 Legese N., 04 October 2010 in Bishoftu.

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to take advantage of the situation are petty criminals, mainly pickpockets, who travel there to make use of the large crowd to steal money and other valuables.

The ceremony on 3 October ended with speeches made by individuals from various administrative and cultural ministries and offices and blessings by elders representing almost all Oromo clans in Ethiopia. The speeches and the blessings also have strong political tones as they praise the current regime for their support and particularly for allowing the Oromo to celebrate Irreecha and other cultural and religious practices openly. Some of the blessings by Oromo elders are as follows:

Uummata kana nagaa godhi May you (Waaqa) maintain the health of this society

Biyya teenya nagaa godhi May you give peace to our country Naggaadeen nagadee haa argatu May traders prosper

Kan qotate nagaan haa nyaatu May farmers gather [their] produce peacefully

Tamaariin haa tamaaru May students learn

Ijoolleen barnoota isaanii qubee isaaniin haa baratan

May children learn with their alphabet (mother tongue)

Manguddoo keenyaa nagaa nu haa godhu May he (Waaqa) give health for our elders Ijoolleef shamarrran nagaa nu haa godhu Peace to children and young girls

Dargaggoo nagaa nu haagodhu Peace to the youth

Afaan keenya tokko nu haagodhu May our language be the same (understand each other)

Sabaaf sablamoota nagaa nu haagodhu Peace for the nations and nationalities Waaqnii akkanumatti nagaan nu oolchee

haabulch

May Waaqa give us a peaceful night as he gave us a peaceful day

The main Irreecha ceremony is a one-day event, but there is another group of people who go to the lake exactly one week later to celebrate their own Irreecha. On 10 October, thousands of worshippers with awliyaa²⁸⁷gather at the lake to celebrate their own version of Irreecha. They meet a week after the main Irreecha celebration because the large number of people gathered at the site makes it difficult for them to perform their rituals. Hundreds of people possessed with zar perform trance dances under the odaa to harmonize the possessing

287 Awn (2005: 8821) defines awliya[a](wali) as a Muslim saint even if there is no religious department in Islam with a power to canonize individuals as saints. Informants use the term in a different sense; they talk of being possessed by awliyaa, hence spirit or zar.

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spirit with the possessed. During the trance dance, it is not the person, but the spirit who is in control and talking. At one point, for instance, I tried to talk to one woman while she was resting after a long trance dance. She asked me whom I wanted to talk to - her/him or her

‘horse’- her/him being the spirit and the ‘horse’ being the possessed woman.

This practice, however, is sternly opposed by the ‘purists’. They say that it is inappropriate for people to go to the lake and engage in different actions such as chewing khat and spirit possession. For them, these actions are not part of the ceremony and they are outside of Waaqeffannaa. They suggest those people who perform rituals related to zar stay at their own galma and do whatever they want in their homes. A few years ago, before the Abbaa Malkaa, “father of the river” would go to the river and celebrate Irreecha, no one was allowed to go to the river to celebrate.²⁸⁸ Today people go to a river and celebrate Irreecha whenever they like, even if the river is closed. It is, however, permitted to go to a lake or a river where Irreecha is celebrated to prepare coffee and burn incense under a tree. Even the

‘purists’ are not against this.²⁸⁹ People who are involved with zar are, however, oppose the rejection of their practices at the lake. They state that there are no rules or codes to follow and there is no one with the mandate to decide what is right and what is wrong. They are of the view that anybody can thank Waaqa in his/her own way.²⁹⁰

288 Legese N.,04 October 2010 in Bishoftu; Dirribi D., 09 October 2010 in Addis Ababa.

289 Legese N.,04 October 2010 in Bishoftu; Dirribi D., 09 October 2010 in Addis Ababa.

290 Eyasu D., 10 October 2010 in Bishoftu; Abera K., 10 October 2010 in Bishoftu.