Culture
Meskel: Ethiopia Celebrates Faith, Heritage, and Unity
The Reporter · 11 hours ago · Read the Full Story on The Reporter
AI SUMMARY
Ethiopians across the country prepare to mark the traditional Demera bonfire and the feast of Meskel, celebrating faith, community, and the finding of the True Cross.
- Ethiopians will gather for the annual Demera bonfire ceremony on September 26, 2026, followed by the Meskel feast celebrating the finding of the True Cross on September 27.
- Church tradition attributes the religious foundation of Meskel and the Demera bonfire to fourth-century Jerusalem and Queen Helena, whose prayer and fire revealed where the Cross was buried.
- Meskel became deeply embedded in Ethiopian Christianity following the Aksumite Kingdom's adoption of Christianity in the fourth century, with later historical connections to Gishen Mariam under Emperor Zara Yaqob in the 15th century.
- Meskel Square in Addis Ababa serves as the primary public setting for the national Demera ceremony, carrying a history that includes relocation from St. George's Cathedral and renaming periods under the Derg regime.
- UNESCO inscribed Meskel on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2013, recognizing its role in social cohesion, reconciliation, and generational knowledge transfer.
- Abba Aymero Biruh, a priest in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, stated that the Demera smoke and the message of Meskel symbolize that light cannot stay hidden and remind people to reconcile and seek peace.
- Longtime Addis Ababa resident Tofik Melkamu noted that despite difficult economic pressures and rising market prices, thousands of people still gather in unity to celebrate.
- Sunday-school students and younger generations play a central role in public ceremonies by performing coordinated hymns, prayers, and chants that help transmit traditions to the next generation.
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