UNESCO adds Ethiopia’s Gifaataa Festival to intangible Cultural Heritage List. The decision was announced during the 20th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage which took place in New Delhi, India.
The Gifaataa Festival, which celebrates the Ethiopian New Year among the Wolaita people was included in the UNESCO list for its role in fostering peace, community unity, intergenerational dialogue, cultural continuity through traditions and promoting cultural tourism.
The event celebrated between mid - September and early October symbolises the transition from one year to the new, holding a deep cultural meaning for the Wolaita community.
The ten - day festival aims to welcome the new year and resolve past conflicts, emphasizing renewal, family unity, and cultural continuity, marked by cleaning, feasting, preaparing and sharing meals, dancing, elder blessings, bonfires rituals. and a grand finale with music and horse riding, reinforcing community bonds.
The recognition of the Gifaataa Festival is expected to support Ethiopia’s cultural tourism, offering international visitors greater insight into the country’s living traditions and heritage.
Key Aspects of Gifataa Festival:
• Meaning: “Gifaataa” means “the beginning” representing a bridge from the old to the new, dark to light, fostering a fresh start.
• Timing: Celebrated annually around September/early October, coinciding with the Ethiopian New Year.
• Purpose: Symbolizes renewal, starting fresh, reconciliation, and strengthening social ties.
• Preparation: Families clean homes, resolve disputes, and gather for the spetivities, with specific gender roles (girls help mothers, boys assist fathers).
• Celebration: Features sharing raw meat and local beer, elders offering blessings, singing, dancing around bonfires, and traditional music.
• Goolo - Igetta : A grand concluding community event with horse riding, music, and final blessings.
• Significance: Promotes intergenerational connection, peace, unity, social cohesion, cultural identity, with knowledge passed down through families and media.
About Wolaita People:
The Wolaita people are an indigenous Ethiopian group known for their distinct Omotic language, vibrant cultural traditions in music, dance, ceremonies like Meskel (a religious holiday celebrated by Christians with colourful processions), elaborate attire, strong communal value, characterized by resilience, a strong cultural identity and sense of self - determination, reflecting historical struggles.
This ethnic group has a long, documented history with many dynasties with an iconic, thriving kingdom known for trade and unique internal currencies like “shalwa” (cotton) and “marchuwa”(iron).
As social structure, the Wolaita have about 200 clans, divided into two main tribes, Malla and Dogala, with some clans tracing ancestry to other major Ethiopian groups.
Speaking at the session in New Delhi, Ethiopia’s Minister of Tourism Selamawit Kassa highlighted the importance of preserving and promoting the country’s traditional cultural practices, noting their role in strengthening national identity and intergenerational continuity.
Experts noted that the inclusion of the Gifaataa Festival expands the country’s presence on the list and highlights East Africa’s cultural diversity and historical depth.
Link
https://tvbrics.com/en/news/unesco-adds-ethiopia-s-givata-festival-to-intangible-cultural-heritage-list/
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