የመስቀል፤ በኣል (=YE MESKEL BE'AL) (THE FESTIVITY OF THE HOLLY CROSS) IN WELKITE TOWN: BEYOND THE RELIGIOUS RITES
የመስቀል፤ በኣል (=YE MESKEL BE'AL) (THE FESTIVITY OF THE HOLLY CROSS) IN WELKITE TOWN: BEYOND THE RELIGIOUS RITES
Meskel
is a religious Holiday celebrated by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahdo Church on
September 28 of the year. In Welkite town (113KMs SW of Ayer Tena, Addis
Ababa), the Holiday has a unique taste-it is celebrated in accordance with
local cultures and beyond the religious ways. As well, you should also make
sure that you are not deceived by the yearly celebration date for that is for
the Holiday's official time and the celebration always lasts almost for the
full month of September.
I
felt in my heart that this Holiday is a special and always I have liked it.
After enjoying it a lot, I usually also have wanted it to come soon as I don't
want it to last. I think you all could share my feelings. If you are not
familiar with Meskel Be’al, you might want to know that it is one of the Intangeble
Cultural Heritages of Humanity recorded by UNESCO in 2015.[i]
The Religious History Behind
Meskel
is celebrated in remembrance of the day in which St.Eleni or Flavia Lulia
Helena Augusta (mother of Constantine,
First Christian Roman Emperor [[ii]]) found the lost True Holy Cross of The Lord Jesus Christ, in
the 4th Century A.D. The old man called Kirackgos told St.Illeni that the cross
was buried underground and suggested there be a pile of logs put in fire and
let incense be in it; only then the exact direction the Holly Cross was buried can
be known.
Based
on his recommendation, St. Illeni & her men prepared a huge pile of logs
and put it on fire, making a gigantic bonfire. On it tremendous amounts of
incense was placed. The smoke ascent up into heaven and God knew the effort of
the people to find the True Cross and helped them.
Then,
the fume was sent back downward to the earth and ended on a point of the hill
where the Holly Cross of Jesus Christ was buried for hundreds of years. That
was a communication between the True Cross Finders and God. That hill, under
which the cross was buried, was made up of the aged collection of garbage and
pile of rubbishes of the city, which was done intentionally to burry and vanish
the Holy Cross. A mass digging was conducted on it for days and the True Cross
was gradually revealed. And St. Illeni and her men light the torch of Damera to
celebrate the incident.[iii]
The cross was rediscovered in such a way & history.
After
its discovery, the Holly Cross healed many and was taken to be a source of
panacea. Many Christian kings requested part of the Holy Cross and got a
portion of it. Right now, the True Cross, its major and most complete parts,
exists in Ethiopia, Gishen Debre Kerbe Gedam (69 KMs NW of Dessie).
The
yearly celebration of Meskel (=literally to mean Cross) began in Ethiopia ever
since the moment of its discovery. The Holy day is highly celebrated throughout
Ethiopia in Meskerrem 17 of the Ethiopian Calendar (Sep.25 GC). It is highly
celebrated in the Guraghe peoples, in SNNPRS, more than any other places in the
world & even inside Ethiopia. It is also a popular Holy day in Adigrat,
Tigray State.
The Religious and Cultural Rites Associated with the Discovery of the True Cross Ever Since Then
For
more than sixteen centuries, Ethiopia has held the Meskel Be’al celebration in
remembrance of the history of finding the Holly Cross.[iv]
Now days, that is called ደመራ
'Demera'(=a tied bunch of dried slim tree logs with its leaves used to make a
bonfire.) These days, the Demera is prepared from a type of tree locally called
ከሴ 'kessea', it is a fine flammable
tree. Demera is always lit in the afternoon of the eve of Meskel.
The
celebration does not last only with the bonfire. There are special hymens,
chanting, and doxologies served in usually public squares (so is done to show
the True Cross was found outside the Church). Special and locally produces
clothes are worn by believers and the scenario is excellent, enjoyable.
Seasonal and Socio-Cultural Backdropes making Meskel a Memorable Celebration
Meskerrem is the first month of the
year in Ethiopia. It marks the end of the rainy season and the beginning of a
windy and fine season. As the starting month of the year, Meskel Be’al has
become the first Holly day next to the New Year itself. The festival coincides
with the mass blooming of the golden yellow Meskel daisies.[v]
These flowers are blossoming everywhere and making the ground yellow by that
time; they are called አደይ አበባ ‘Adey Ababa’.
The festivity of Meskel is special
in many ways. Among other things, the ceremony in the public square is
exorbitant scenery and is followed by a series of other celebrations. I want to
quote the following as it explains it well.
“There
are two occasions on Meskel. The first is Demera (September 26), in which
bonfires are built topped by a cross to which flowers are tied. The flowers are
Meskel Daisies. The Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church orchestrates the
lightening ceremony. After the bonfires are blessed they are lit and dancing
and singing begins around them. Priests in full ceremonial dress sing around the
bonfire. While the Demera is set on fire there is an inner feeling of
brightness for all those who are around it. Little Demera are also built at
individual houses or villages. After some time, splinters from the bundles of
burning wood collapse. Which direction they fall is very significant: north,
south, east or west Interpretations are soon conjectured as to whether the
fields of grain are going to be plentiful or not, or there is peace all year
round, etc. At the closing of the Demera, a rain shower is expected to
fall to help put the fire out. If the rain falls and the fire is extinguished,
there is a belief that the year will be prosperous. The day after the Demera is
Meskel. This day is observed with plenty of food and drink as believers go to
the spot of the Demera and, using ashes from the fire, mark their heads with
the sign of the cross.”[vi]
On top of that, there are other
coincedets that makes the celebration unique. Once again I want to quote and
express that.
“It
is during Meskel celebration that these diligent people usually go back to
their village to enjoy their yearlong fruit of labor with family, relatives,
friends and neighbors the best way they know how. Since receiving the priceless
blessings from the elders of the household or village is something that the
Gurage people value the most in spite of the fruit of their labor, this once in
a year Meskel celebration means going back to their amazingly green and loving
village (Home).”[vii]
When she talks of
Meskel, Sara Genen said
“[t]he
renowned and exotic Gurage people’s delicious traditional Holiday cuisine – (ክትፎ)
Kitfo – … [w]hen it comes to Meskel Holiday, Kitfo is the first thought that
appear into many Ethiopian minds including mine.”[viii]
Kitfo is like a hamburger, only
it’s raw, and filled with spices, and eaten with injera instead of with a bun;
it’s one of the most praised foods in Ethiopia, and it is stunning on the taste
buds.[ix]
The Kitfo can be ለብ ለብ ‘leb leb’ very slightly cooked or not. The
meal is served with ቆጮ Kocho, እንጀራ injera or ዳቦ
dabo as you prefer. Though I advise to taste the meal as prepared by the
locals, you can try it at home as per the following receipe in the endnote.[x]
In general, imagine when you see
the beautiful season of winter filling the ground with greens and flowers and
families are gathered, evrything is about to begin afresh in the new year, and
you celebrate the cheerful Meskel Be’al. hence, the Holy day is not only a
religious celebration. It really has a lot of other aspects related with family
life, social engagments and cultural undertakings. It is all geateful. And one
of the memories that I will never forget in my life.
End Notes
[ii] Mary Walker Clark
& Matt Meinke,
Ethiopia's Meskel Celebration, http://ketr.org/post/ethiopias-meskel-celebration#stream/0, last accessed on January 2015
[iii] See generally, Decision of the Intergovernmental Committee:
8.COM 8.11, http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/en/decisions/8.COM/8.11, and see also Meskel -
Finding of the True Cross (September 26th and 27th), http://www.awazetours.com/Visit-Ethiopia/Ethiopian-Festivals/Meskel.html, both are last accessed on January 2016
[iv] Note iii
[v] Note iii
[vi] Note iii
[viii] Sara Genene, MESKEL:
Ethiopian Feast Of Exaltation Of Holy Cross, https://aboutaddisababa.wordpress.com/2014/09/21/meskel-ethiopian-feast-of-exaltation-of-holy-cross/, last accessed
on January 2016
[ix] Mark Wiens,
Ethiopian kitfo, raw beef that will melt in your mouth, https://migrationology.com/ethiopian-kitfo-yohannes-restaurant/, last accessed
on January 2015
[x] Stephen, Recipe:
Kitfo,
http://www.africa-news.eu/life-style/lifestyle/lifestyle/recipe-kitfo.html, or visit Kitfo (Ethiopian Steak Tartar), http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/kitfo-ethiopian-steak-tartar.html, both are last
accessed on January 2016
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