Seifu and Haimanot performing live

Seifu and Haimanot Girma dancing live on the fundraiser.

About the Fiche-Chembelala Festival

#Ethiopia | The Fiche-Chembelala Festival, which is a turning point for the Sidama people and has been listed as an Intangible World Heritage Site by UNESCO, has been celebrated for 10 years. 

The Fiche festival is the Sidama nation's turning point festival and is calculated in the Sidama year according to the cycle of the moon and stars. Traditional Astronomers are responsible for determining the date of the Fiche by observing the cycle.

Many of the festive events that take place during the Fiche-Chembelala can be divided into pre-Fiche and post-Fiche events.

The main events before the festival (Fiche) are the determination of the day (Lalawa), the consultation with the elders about the day (Fajo), the announcement of the day of the festival (Lalawa), the fasting of the Kemesas for the sins committed by humans and animals in the previous year (Usura), the Kemesas' keetala (Safote Keetala) to announce the approaching day of the festival, the Keetala (Adcha Keetala) to announce that the youth have prepared the clothes and materials needed for the festival, and the comprehensive reconciliation (Arara) that takes place before the day of the festival.

The day of the festival is known as Fitra, and at around 9:00 or 10:00 a.m., a horizontal tunnel (huluka) is made of wet wood and people and animals crawl through it, symbolizing the transition from the old year to the new. From 12:00, Burisame is prepared in a shafeta and eaten with milk. The Burisame ritual begins with the house of the tribal leader or chief, and then goes around to all the houses in order of age.

The next day is known as Chambalala, and this day is a special day for children, livestock, wild animals, and nature. On Chambalala, children go from house to house, saying “Aide Chambalala!” and mothers say “Ile Ile” and feed them Burisame as they go about their day. It is a day when cattle are herded to good pastures and are not beaten. It is also a day when wild animals are not hunted and no tree branches are cut.

#Chambalala

After Chambalala, every tribe in every Gudumale will express their joy, sorrow, sadness, hope, and general feelings through Qetala, Pharo, and girls' Hore Kwane for two weeks. The day of Fiche Masaregiya is called Fichi Fulo. On this day, everyone goes to the Great Gudumale. 

On this day, the Qetala of the fathers, the Pharo of the youth, and the Pharo of the girls are special.

We congratulate the Sidama people on the turning point of the era of Fiche Chambalala!!

Tsegaab-Dawit