The USPFJ Wishes the Sidama Nation a Happy ‘Fichchee’ Sidama New Year!

United Sidama Parties for Freedom and Justice (USPFJ)

August 4, 2013

The Sidama New Year known as ‘Fichchee’ is practiced by the Sidama nation of north East Africa that lives in today’s southern Ethiopia. It’s one of the Sidama nation’s cultural heritages that uniquely characterize the nation. Fichchee has been celebrated since time immemorial. The celebration of the aforementioned Sidama New Year is officially conducted on two consecutive days although the festivity lasts for two weeks. In 2012, the Sidama New Year was celebrated on the 15^th and 16^th of August as per opinions of Sidama traditional Astrologists http://www.sidama.org/messages/2012-08-14-uspfj-wishes-sidama-happy-fichche.htm.  This year’s Fichchee and Cambalaalla celebration is going to be held on the 4^th and 5^th of August 2013 respectively.

The dates for the celebrations of Sidama New Year are decided by the Sidama Ayyaantto (exceptionally talented Sidama traditional Astrologists) those who attentively study the movements and positions of the stars before they decide the right dates to celebrate the Sidama Fichchee. This has been practiced for centuries by the Sidama society. The decision of Ayyaantto is influenced by strong beliefs that certain days bring good luck to the nation whereas others do the opposite. If the dates lie on a bad day, the Sidama Ayyaantto advice the nation to make the necessary sacrifices to the God the creator (Kalaqii Kaliiqiraa) to sanctify the date to switch it to the advantage of the nation.

The series of festivities taking places throughout Sidama land based on these several centuries old traditions of Sidama nation as explained by one of the Sidama writers for 2011’s Fichchee celebration-  read from the following link, http://www.sidama.org/calendrical/sidama-new-year-fichchee-2011.pdf.

During the 2012 Fichchee celebration as always the Sidama nation has shown its utmost civility when an estimated 1 million Sidamas gathered in the ‘Gudumaale’ (sacred and designated place where religious and New Year celebrations take place) of their capital city ‘Hawassa’ to celebrate their Fichchee. They concluded their celebration peacefully unlike their accusers who have prepared death traps for the nation although they fell short of achieving their heinous agendas. 

Last year’s celebration has taken place despite the numerous scaremongering propagandas of the current regime’s machineries alleging the Sidama nation as if it was prepared to loot and attack people from others ethnic backgrounds who have peacefully coexisted with Sidama for several decades. The regime in several occasions has disseminated terror scattering over a brigade army throughout Sidama region with additional tens of thousands of underground armed security forcers with strict orders to arrest, torture and kill the Sidama civilians if they find minor excuses.

However, the Sidama nation as always proved that the rulers were not only wrong- but also they were the ones who were criminals terrorizing peaceful and non-violent Sidama civilians. Last year the regime imprisoned 1000s of Sidama civilians with false allegations for weeks and months following Fichchee celebration.

The Sidama nation has shown its customary patience, farsightedness, civility, wisdom and indefatigable spirits during the last year’s Fichchee peacefully, but firmly demanding their constitutional rights to regional self determination that was denied by the regime in power for the last 22 years. During their celebration, the Sidama nation also unanimously cursed Sidama cadres who to date remain instrumental in blocking Sidama nation’s rights to the said privileges and demanded their unconditional resignations.

Whilst the Sidama nation is preparing to welcome this year’s Fichchee as we speak, the incumbent regime is once again disseminating their scaremongering propaganda emphasizing that the Sidamas can’t celebrate their New Year in the Gudumaale of their capital city Hawassa where they celebrated Fichchee for centuries. The regime is also scattering army and security forces throughout the Sidama region as they did during the last year’s Fichchee to hinder and block the Sidama nation from exercising their cultural rights, totally disregarding their constitution. The scaremongering campaign is said to have reached its climax as the USPFJ releases this well wish.

Therefore, the USPFJ strongly demand the incumbent regime to unconditionally stop terrorizing the Sidama nation whose people are prepared to welcome their Fichchee as others peoples of the world whose nations peacefully welcome their respective New Years.

The United Sidama Parties for Freedom and Justice wishes a Happy Sidama New Year -Fichchee for the nation and strongly advices its people to stand on its principles of non-violent and peaceful resistance as it has done always to unconditionally demand their rights to unanswered quests. The USPFJ also wishes all those who live in Sidamaland with Sidama people peacefully a Happy Sidama New Year (Fichchee) and advice them to stand with the Sidama nation in demanding their constitutional rights to regional self determination instead of becoming accomplices of the incumbent regime that rejoices by the sufferings of civilians and triumphs over the death of the unarmed and powerless.

Let this Fichchee brings unity and prosperity to Sidama nation and others Ethiopian nations and nationalities!! Let this Fichchee brings Justice, Success, Wealth, Ultimate Freedom and Liberty to Sidama nation and all subjugated nations and nationalities. Let this Fichchee brings lasting solution for Sidama nation’s century old injustice which the successive regimes including the current one continue to impose! Let this year becomes free where the free will of the nation triumph over brutality and terror!! 

Let’s stand shoulder to shoulder whilst celebrating Fichchee and unanimously say Fichchee Jejii Jejii, Sidaamu Dagoomaho ellii, Bushshateni Sidaama laanoha badhera daawarii!!

Fichchee Diruni Diro Ilishshi!!

United Sidama Parties for Freedom and Justice (USPFJ), 

August 4, 2013