Yebuna weg is one of the major parts of Ethiopian social and cultural fabrics. The abundance of coffee, the history associated with its origins and expansions to other countries, the lavish and fascinating process that people are adhered to, makes it even more interesting and enjoyable.
Generally speaking, most of Ethiopian’s day begin with coffee. As yebuna weg takes a lot of time, when the time permits the typical yebuna weg follows the following routines, during which time a lot of interactions takes place:
Since yebuna weg is organized mainly by women, Yebuna weg takes place among house wives or women in close neighborhoods, or relatives. Men’s are also very welcomed.
Yebuna weg starts by a women with roasting of the washed row coffee beans with small flat or cubical pan on a charcoal stove. Not only the smell that comes with roasting back and forth is one of the attractions, but also the fully roasted and smoky coffee beans carried around to feel the room with aroma. Then the roasted coffee is placed in small wooden mortar called ሙቀጫ (Mukecha) and crashed with a wooden or metallic pestle called ዘነዘና (Zenezena). While the crashing is going on, a snack of roasted grain (ቆሎ) is served in the atmosphere of burning incense (እጣን).
The crashed coffee is then put in ጀበና (traditional clay pot) and is boiled with water. The coffee is boiled two or three times at interval up through the neck before it is served
This strongly brewed coffee is served with sugar or salt by pouring it in to several ሲኒ (small cubs usually without a handle) on a tray, and passing them on the base of priority, by age and social status. When one is invited for coffee one has to come soon because cold coffee is discerned. As the saying goes “የቡና ስበቱ ከመፋጀቱ” The high quality of coffee emanates from its warmth.
Buna is brewed and served three times in a row by leaving a portion of coffee powder aside. The first round is called Abol (አቦል), the second Tona (ቶና), the third is Baraka (በረካ). At times the whole process may repeated two or three times a day.
Besides the awaking and relaxing effect of coffee, the therapeutic nature of the gathering is very addictive. During this lengthy period of yebuna weg, all sorts of problems are discussed solutions are suggested, news is shared, stories are told and jokes are cracked.
In fact coffee residues in the cup are pondered for signs of what the future might bring. There are many informal fortune tellers who, based on the art of reading the coffee cuds on the cups, interpret the future of the person for whom the cup is given. Some do it for the fun of it, and others actually believe in it. This is just like the palm readers read from the contour of their palms. This gives another dimension to the weg of buna.
