Meskel

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Meskel
Intangible cultural heritage Intangible cultural heritage emblem
Meskel Celebration.jpg
Ethiopian Feast of the Finding of the Cross
State (s): EthiopiaEthiopia Ethiopia
List: Representative list
Number: 00858
Admission: 2013

The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church refer to the holiday of the finding of the cross on September 27 of the Gregorian calendar as Meskel ( Ge'ez : መስቀል) . This holiday takes place just a few days after the New Year celebrations (September 11th, greg. ) And coincides roughly with the end of the rainy season in southern Ethiopia . It is also a day on which families come together and migrant workers drive home.

The Ethiopian Feast of the Finding of the Cross was added to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2013 . The celebrations begin with the construction of the so-called Damera , a tall, cone-shaped structure made of wood, clad with tufts of grass and decorated with flowers to commemorate the New Year on Meskel Square in Addis Ababa . Hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians from all parts of the country go to this square, where the priests in ceremonial clothing sing hymns and prayers and perform a rhythmic dance in front of the Damera. At the climax of the ceremony, the Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church lights the bonfire.

The Feast of the Finding of the Cross is celebrated throughout Ethiopia, regardless of age, gender, language or ethnicity. Participants believe that they will receive blessings through the cross during this ceremony.

literature

  • Edward Ullendorff: Ethiopia and the Bible . Schweich lectures series. Oxford University Press 1968. ISBN 0-19-726076-4

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