Gifaataa

Gifaataa
ጊፋታ
Gifaataa Festival
Observed byWolayta people
SignificanceFirst day of the year in Wolaita
Celebrations
  • Family members and kinship gathered and eat special meals prepared from meat cheese, natively called waxayaa, qaye ashuwaa, muchuwa, etc .
  • Invitations of neighbours making of compromise if there is disagreements among neighbours and relatives.
  • Playing of Leke etc.
DateSeptember (based on lunar calendar)
2023 date24 September
2024 date22 September
2025 date21 September
2026 date20 September
FrequencyAnnual
Related toNew Year
Wolaytas playing "Leke" at the Gifaataa festival

Gifaataa is a cultural festival celebrated by the Wolayta people in the Southern Region of Ethiopia.[1] This festival is celebrated each year in September.[1] In this celebration, the Wolayta accept the New Year and send off the old one.[1] Gifaataa means, "the beginning," and is also considered the bridge from old to new, dark to light.[2] During Gifaataa, the Wolayta dance and enjoy cultural foods. The significance of Gifaata is to eliminate issues of the past and start afresh, reconciling past quarrels and strengthening family and community ties moving forward.[1]

  1. ^ a b c d Fekadu, Nardros (12 October 2019). "Wolaytan way of ushering in New Year". The Reporter Ethiopia. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  2. ^ "ስለ ጊፋታ በዓል አከባበር አጭር ማብራሪያ" (in Amharic). Wolayta Zone Administrations.