Sidama people celebrating Fiche-Chambalaalla

Addis Ababa, April 6, 2024 (FBC) – Fichee-Chambalaalla, a New Year festival of the Sidama people, is being celebrated in Hawassa today.

Fichee-Chambalaalla was inscribed in 2015 by UNESCO as the representative list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Top government officials, the elderly, the youth and different sections of the society attended the celebration of the outdoor festival.

According to the oral tradition, Fichee commemorates a Sidama woman who visited her parents and relatives once a year after her marriage, bringing buurisame, a meal prepared from false banana, milk and butter, which was shared with neighbours.

Fichee-Chambalaalla has since become a unifying symbol of the Sidama people, per ENA.

Each year, astrologers determine the correct date for the festival, which is then announced to the clans.

Communal events take place throughout the festival, including traditional songs and dances. Every member participates irrespective of age, gender and social status.