The markets and bazaars of Addis Ababa began to see a swarm of customers this week as followers of the Christian faith prepare for Easter (Fasika) celebrations, many of them ending a 55-day fast.

The Reporter toured the city’s major marketplaces to get a sense of the prices on offer for the commodities and items in high demand at this time of year, gauge consumer sentiment, and assess the general atmosphere during what should be a time of roaring trade for traders and vendors.

The markets are stocked full of vegetables, live animals (cattle, sheep, goats, and chicken), false banana extracts (Kocho, Bulla), as well as butter (ghee)— all widely used to prepare the unique Ethiopian dishes that in recent decades have become increasingly international.



A kilogram of red onions, a primary ingredient in the preparation of Doro Wot, sells for anywhere between 55 and 65 birr, while consumers are expected to shell out 50 birr for a kilo of tomatoes, 50 birr for beetroot, 35 birr for cabbage, 55 birr for carrots, and close to 300 birr for garlic.



Eggs cost between 13 and 17 birr depending on the variety, with eggs from domestic chicken breeds fetching the highest prices.

The trade, traditionally subject to bargaining, sees the most preferred roosters from Wolaita sell for up to 1,800 birr, while chickens sourced from elsewhere go for anywhere between 900 and 1,300 birr. Vendors typically measure the weights of the animals by hand.

A kilo of butter has a price range of 800 to 900 birr, with fresh ghee costing the most. The butter is clarified using a specific blend of spices and then used as a key ingredient in Doro Wot, Kitfo, and several other dishes typically served for the holiday feast.

Consumers will also shell out 1,500 birr for a five-liter bottle of sunflower oil, and 90 birr for a kilo of wheat flour.

Shopper Etagegn Gurmu says she has made it a point this year to get what she needs early in a bid to avoid inflated prices and market congestion.

“Prices are not that high compared to other times and it is good to have consumers’ associations making commodities available at affordable prices,” she said.

At a bazaar taking place at Millennium Hall on Africa Avenue (Bole Road), a more posh part of the capital, a woman was going from stall to stall asking shopkeepers for the prices of various items on display.

“I did not find anything on offer at the bazaar that isn’t available at regular markets,” she told The Reporter.

She left after buying shoes and clothing for her children.

Shopkeepers at the bazaar told The Reporter that foot traffic has been lower than previous experiences during public holidays and religious festivals. The few buyers who do come to their shops do not have much appetite for purchases, according to vendors.

The bazaar serves more as a promotional opportunity than a chance to make sales, they said.

Buyers have also been heard complaining about the high prices, particularly those of livestock, which many say they simply can no longer afford.

Fasika is celebrated with Christians flocking to churches for a late-night mass. Clad in white loose cotton dresses, they hold lit tuaf (beeswax candles) and stay until the end of liturgy that lasts until early Sunday (well past midnight).

For the laity of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, this weekend marks the end of a 55-day fast, during which they abstained from eating meat and butter.

This year, Easter celebrations fall on the same day for churches following the Gregorian and Julian calendars.

Yemane Birhanu and Abebe Fikir contributed to this article