25/09/2017
Meskel,Demra or The finding of the True Cross
The festival of Meskel has been celebrated in
the country for
over 1,600 years. The word actually means
“cross” and the
feast commemorates the discovery of the cross
upon, which
Jesus was crucified, by the Empress Helena,
the mother of
Constantine the Great. The original event took
place on 19
March 326 AD.
Many of the rites observed throughout the
festival are said to
be directly connected to the legend of Empress
Helena. On
the eve of Meskel, tall branches are tied
together and yellow
daisies, popularly called Meskel flowers, are
placed at the top.
During the night, these branches are gathered
together in
front of the compound gates and ignited. This
symbolizes the
actions of the Empress whom, when no one
would show her
the Holy Sepulcher, lit incense and prayed for
help. Where
the smoke drifted she dug and found three
crosses, to one of
them, the True Cross, many miracles were
attributed.
How meskel is celebrated
During this time of year flowers bloom on the
mountains and
plains and the meadows are yellow with the
brilliant Meskel
daisy. Dancing, feasting, merrymaking, bonfires,
and even gun
salutes mark the occasion. The festival begins
by planting a
green tree on Meskel Eve in town squares and
village
marketplaces. Everyone brings a pole topped
with Meskel
daisies to form the towering pyramid that will
soon be a
beacon of flame. Torches of eucalyptus twigs
called chibo are
used to light the bundle of branches called
Demera.
When does the celebration take place
The feast is now celebrated on 27 th of
September. In Addis
Ababa celebrations start in the early afternoon.
when a huge
procession bearing flaming torches approaches
Meskel
Square from various directions. The marchers
include priests
in their brightly hued vestments, students, brass
bands,
contingents of the armed forces, and bedecked
floats
carrying huge lit crosses. They circle the
Demera and fling
their torches upon it, while singing a special
Meskel song.
Thousands gather at the square to join in and
welcome the
season of flowers and golden sunshine called
Tseday. As
evening darkens, the flames glow brighter. It is
not until dawn
that the burning pyramid consumes itself and
the big tree at
the center finally falls. During the celebration,
each house will
be stocked with tella (the local beer), and
strangers are
welcome.
On 27 September , a number of tourists took
part in the Masqel
celebration held at the Masqel square.
Most of them came from every corner of the
world and it was
the first time for some of them to take part in
this grand
event. And some did so twice or trice, even
more. According
to the information secured from reliable
sources, the number
of tourists is increasing from time to time
especially after
Masqel's UNESCO registration as one of world
heritages,
intangible of course.
The majority of tourists were scrupulously
watching each and
every movement of the celebration.
This writer approached some of the attending
tourists from
various countries of the world for comment
about the
Demera or Mesqal celebration. Silvia from
Switzerland was
one of the highly impressed tourist by the ever
mesmerizing
event of the finding of the True Cross. Her
confidence was
absolutely won by the dance presented on the
occasion by
priests and Sunday School students. She said, "I
am really so
happy to be here and excited to get this
experience so close.
I have no words to say how glad I am to be part
of this special
day."
Asked about the source she was informed
about this
celebration, she said, "Actually I saw it in the
internet when I
was browsing to know about Ethiopia and
planned to tale part
in it. When I learned it would take place this
weekend, I
planned to be here on that specific date."
She said the event is very nice and colourful.
Hence, I have
no words to express my feelings about it. It is
really
appealing. Indicating that it is her first time to
be here in
Ethiopia, Silvia said the celebration is special to
start my visit
to Ethiopia and well recognized what does
Ethiopians culture
is. As said by her, she will start travelling around
Ethiopia as
of Tuesday for three weeks to know many parts
of the
country.
Expressing that she had visited different parts
of the world,
she said hadn't so far experienced areas, out of
the countries
where she appeared, similar to with what
Ethiopia is
endowed. "I saw celebrations in different
nations; but i have
never come across something attention-grabb
ing compared
with Masqel."
"When I read about the significance of the day, I
was
informed well about the importance of visiting
UNESCO site.
So that it is even more special to me," said
Silvia.
Another tourist and journalist who came from
west, Francisco
Carnage didn't hesitate to observe every event
at the Masqel
square. As she is working for Cable News
Network (CNN), she
has taken important note using laptop. This
writer talked to
her. She said the celebration is a wonderful as it
incorporates
a number of events and invites hundreds of
thousands of
people wearing various traditional clothes. The
cloths they
wear have helped them get a majestic look.
Here, it seems no
one is left at home as a cross section of people:
the youth,
children and even the elderly are attending the
ceremony. As
a journalist, I know the traditions and the fabrics
of Masqal
celebration and the Finding of the True Cross
has a long
history. Though this is my first time to visit
Ethiopia, I have
found it is very hypnotic, comely and I am
looking at the
catchy bonfire.
The other tourist, Moyese came from India with
his families.
Indicating that he has been touring Ethiopia
over the last two
weeks with his family especially to Axum,
Lalibella, Gondar
and the likes, he liked the Masqel celebration
very much.
Everywhere we saw the old-aged churches and
history of this
great country. So, we have been extremely
impressed and
very happy to be part of this festival. It is a
great experience
for us. "For me, it is the first time to visit
Ethiopia and see
Masqel festivity. So, my family and I are happier
as we have
seen Masqel celebration."
He said that he has not yet been familiar with
Masqal
festival's UNESCO recorded as a world
intangible heritage
since the concerned body has not attached due
emphasis to
its promotion. Most importantly, this and other
potential
tourist attraction sites have to be well
promoted. Here, it is
great to see so many people regardless of age,
race and
gender. I see that religion is given high value.
And this is
manifested by this grand annual celebration.
That is why
everyone is coming together, "Moyese said.
In India, he said, there are a lot of festivals and
various
religions like Hindu, Muslim and the likes. This
is also one of
the colorful celebration which has its own
peculiar
characteristics. The very reason of preparing
festivals is to get
people together and to bring unity among the
people. Thus,
Masqel celebration is typical example for this.
The other tourist named Scott McNamara came
from
Australia. The writer found him at Masqal
square with his
adopted daughter called Elshadaye. He said, I
have been very
pleased to be here, in Ethiopia, since my coming
to great
home to Nations, Nationalities and peoples. In
the west, it is
more hypothetical but this gathering is the
practical
reflection of being religious and hospitable.
Because my daughter is an Ethiopian, we have
been living
here and celebrating Masqel since long time.
We toured
Ethiopia in different times. Basically, I am very
much
interested in seeing the Arc of Covenant. And I
visited
Ethiopia in different times. I have waited here
for over 14
months and my wife has lived for over two
years. Regarding
Maskel festivity, I cannot explain my feeling
upon the festival
in words. This is the event that always recoiled
in your soul,
spirit, mind. And I will share what I have
acquired from this
experience with many people of my land of
origin. As my
tourist guide told me, Maskel festival is
recorded by UNESCO
as an world intangible heritage. The nation
should further
promote all what it does have at hand if it
wants bring about
a difference in tourism potential exploitation.
Helen Aron is an Eritrean but she lives in
Germany. She said,
"My colleagues and I came from the Technical
University of
Monique for visiting the Grand Renaissance
Dams and having
a look at Ethiopia. The celebration is really
beautiful and all
participants were impressed it. And all the
ceremonies,
singing and traditions here are really
impressive. We are
really privileged to be here.
"I am committed to visit this celebration again
as it is sacred
and special one," Helen said.
sources:Our Africa.org And allAfrica.com
