The mahbär, often spelled tswwa, is an Ethiopian religious group that is the subject of this article. Religious mahbär performs a variety of social and religious roles, as evidenced by data from clergy and laypeople. The Ethiopian Orthodox Täwahedo Church has been following this tradition for a very long time. Mahbär is defined as a ritual by the writers due to its exceptional richness, complexity, multifunctionality, and flexibility. By placing religious mahbär within the context of Ethiopian religious history and present trends, the authors evaluate why religious mahbär is in decline despite its wide range of applications, adaptability, and support from the Ethiopian Orthodox Täwahdo Church. It would make sense that during difficult economic times, traditional ceremonies like mahbär would become more relevant to people and hence stronger, but this does not seem to be the case in this context. The authors claim that three things are responsible for this reduction: member recruiting, time constraints, and financial challenges.
