Harar: Chanting and clapping as they dance to the haunting rhythm of drums, the inhabitants of Harar, a fortified Ethiopian city seemingly frozen in time, celebrate the festival of Shuwalid, keeping centuries-old traditions alive.
Shuwalid — which means the "feast of Shuwal", the month which follows Ramadhan in the Muslim calendar -- marks the end of six additional days of fasting observed by some Muslims at the end of the holy month.
On Tuesday evening, men, women and children poured into the two public squares at the centre of the festivities, eager to celebrate Shuwalid for the first time since it was added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list late last year.
Shuwalid enables "community elders to share their knowledge and experiences and to give blessings to the next generations" and ensures "the transmission of performing arts, oral traditions, traditional dress and other cultural elements", according to UNESCO.
As the festivities got under way in the walled city, devotees dressed in white joyfully chanted from the Holy Quran, high on religious fervour and on khat, a mildly narcotic shrub consumed in the Horn of Africa.
Buoyed by khat, the celebrations continued into the early hours.
The Harari claim to be Sufis, followers of a mystical movement in Islam. Their religious practices include repeating, singing and dancing to phrases from the Holy Quran.
"Shuwalid is our tradition," said Aicha Abdurahman, a 19-year-old teacher, whose hands were decorated with henna.
"I like the way we dress, the songs, the dances," she told AFP, adding that the festival was also an opportunity to socialise with other community members, some of whom travel to Harar from far away.
"This year is special. It's the first Shuwalid since it was listed by UNESCO," she said.
"We are really happy and very proud."
The women attract attention with their colourful embroidered tunics and veils, their foreheads adorned with jewellery.
Young people in particular take special care of their appearance in line with traditional beliefs that Shuwalid offers the ideal opportunity to meet a future life partner.
"It goes back to the time when young boys and girls were strictly separated. Today, they already know each other, but the tradition continues," explained Abdul Ahmed, a guide and an expert on the history of the city and its traditions.
"Tonight we're going to look for a fiance, wish us good luck," said Iman Mohamed, 20, laughing as she joined the revelry with her friend Gizman Abdulaziz.
"It's an opportunity (that emerges) once a year. That's why we made ourselves pretty," she said. — Reuters
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