Fiche chambalala

The sidama nation has its own New Year so called Fiche. It will be celebrated for two weeks colorfully every year. The sidama have their own calendar which a week has five days and a month twenty eight days.

Fiche does not fall on the same day every year but it falls on “Qawado”, the first day of the week. The day is determined by elders who practice astrology and announce it to the communities. Fiche is commonly celebrated at Gudumale on the shore of the lake Hawassa where thousands of sidama and people from other ethnic group gathered and celebrate together.

At the evening of Fiche, each fresh   family head makes "huluqa” (arch) from fresh woods in front of the house and makes every members of the family, even the cattle, pass through it. This is done to symbolize the transition process. During the night of the holiday, People of the village gather around in one of the village’s elder people and have cultural meals together.

In the next day after Fiche is called Cambalala. On this day the family head shall wear his traditional custom and shall feed his cattle in “callo” (protected pasture area) by sparking ‘bole’ salty soil and pass the day feeding and looking after them. This ceremony has healed in the city of Hawassa near to Lewi Resort on the places called Gudumale once a year.

Traditional Judiciary System of Sidama People

The alternative dispute resolution is practiced in many nations and nationalities in Ethiopia, amongst Sidama are one of the nations which practices transitional alternative dispute resolution.

The place where the activity takes place is called Gudumales, which are structured in hierarchical chain of power. The cases submitted to the tribunal are dealt with depending on their magnitude. The tribunal begins step by step move to process of forgiving judgment.

The judiciary system reduces and discourages criminal acts in a strategic and artistic way; and it avoids unnecessary bloodshed. It quarrel arises among individuals; or conflicts happen between clans, or if any incidents that may cause blood shedding are come about, they all get solution and just judgments by the tribunal of the shongo, where there is justice, peace prevails.  If there is anyone who desire to visit this traditional judiciary system may come and visit tullo and daato odahe.