A season of rain ends in a river of gratitude

On October 4, thousands of Oromo people gathered at Hora Harsade Lake in Bishoftu, Ethiopia, dressed in traditional attire and carrying green grass and yellow flowers, for Irreecha — the thanksgiving festival marking the end of the rainy season and the start of the harvest. In Addis Ababa, hundreds of thousands more celebrated Hora Finfinnee. The Aba Gadas, the community's traditional leaders, offered blessings calling for peace, unity, and prosperity. Irreecha is a cornerstone of the Oromo Gada system, recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity — a time for communities to express gratitude, strengthen social bonds, and pass traditions from one generation to the next.