Song, Dance, And The Koran: Ethiopia's Harari Celebrate Centuries-old Festival

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

Harar, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Apr, 2024) 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 Ramadan 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.