Oromo Thanksgiving Day on CNN (Inside Africa)

OROMO THANKSGIVING DAY ON CNN
Moving on to a different celebration, the colorful festivities of the Oromo people. Ethiopia's largest ethnic group recently celebrated one of their most ancient rituals. On this day, the faithful observe a day of prayer and Thanksgiving, and they turn to the gods of the water for special blessings. Chandrika Narayan walks us through the sacred event.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHANDRIKA NARAYAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Every year, thousands of Ethiopians celebrate a festival known as Irrecha, that reinforces the bond between man and nature. People from Ethiopia's largest ethnic group, the Oromo, gather at villages, dotting lakes and scenic mountains to celebrate.

The colorful function in the town of Debre Zeyit, just 50 kilometers from the capital Addis Ababa, is perhaps the largest and most symbolic. It is much like Thanksgiving in the United States.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We perform the Irrecha ritual every year. It is the time to ask for forgiveness from God. Every one comes here to communicate with God. We also consider this place a holy place, where we can get solutions for our pressing problems.

NARAYAN: The Oromo are predominantly Christians and Muslims, but they retain much of their traditional beliefs, such as the believe in one god, known as Waka, a force that rules the cosmos. They believe its creative power is found in each living entity, be it human, animal or plant.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is something that teaches you that what we breathe, the carbon dioxide, goes to the tree, and the oxygen from the tree is what we live on. And none of us can live without the other. We must have oxygen to survive, and the tree needs carbon dioxide to survive. Therefore, this is a celebration, a ritual that takes place under the tree.

NARAYAN: The ritual began the morning of October 3rd, after the spiritual leader blessed the festival. Worshipers put leaves and flowers around the sycamore tree, and offer prayers to their one god.

The Oromo throw bait, bread and other food items into the lake as offerings.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The water is holy, water being you. You being 75 percent water, you are water. You are the tree. You are the plant. You are the animal. You're everything. Everything is connected with one another.

NARAYAN: Water is seen as a healing element of nature. Early in the morning, the Oromo bring the cattle, which are an essential part of their life, into the water.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The cattle is their family. So they bring their family into the water, asking the water to keep them clean, keep them healthy and have continuity, have a peaceful existence with this -- with this oneness of nature.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We bathe them every year. I've been doing this for almost 20 years. The water has a healing effect.

NARAYAN: The festival includes ancient rituals that worshipers say they have been practicing for thousands of years, and brings together the forces of nature and the spirit of humans.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We are performing the rituals in the same way as our forefathers did long ago. We pray for the peace of our country. We pray for the sick, for the weak, for the poor, for all mankind.

NARAYAN: Chandrika Narayan, for INSIDE AFRICA.

(END VIDEOTAPE)
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0511/05/i_if.01.html