Ethiopia is celebrating one of its oldest intangible cultural heritages, Meskel, a holiday which harks back 1600 years . More colorful outdoor celebrations, such as the Irrecha, Fiche Chambalala, Timket etc. are on their way. Meskel festival holds a significant place in the hearts of Orthodox Christians of Ethiopia. The celebration begins in every 26th September night with the day of Demera, as Orthodox Christians from all walks of life go to Meskel Square and other sites where different religious and cultural ceremonies take place to commemorate the finding of the true cross. The ancient history indicates that Queen Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine, by the guidance of her dream found the true cross, which Jesus Christ was crucified on. She and her followers lit bonfires and the smoke led them, to where the cross was buried.
This significant day is celebrated every annually throughout Ethiopia and the festival, Meskel, was registered by the UNESCO on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2013. Addis Ababa the capital of Ethiopia commemorates the day each year colourfully at Meskel square.
Addis Ababa, has also been going through lots of developmental changes over the past six years. Genet Solomon has been on the traditional jewelries and wearables business on Churchill Street. “The developments have added greater values to the City’s major tourist sites. I have been in this business for five years. The wearables that I’m selling are beautiful and tells the history of Ethiopian people. I have many cultures in my shop. The corridor development added beauty and space to my business and many tourists are coming,” she says.
Churchill Street is one of Addis Ababa’s best places to be, where tourists can find traditional jewelries and wearable. The block has gained a new image by the corridor development project and it’s still giving the City the international standards that it deserves. Rising businesswomen like Genet are having the test of its beauty and the better market opportunity. “Tourists are also enjoying the new image of the City as well as our service. Meskel is one of the festivals that draw many tourists to our city. The cultural vibe and the outdoor festival with many colors are significant for our tourism. In this case, everyone has a responsibility to keep everything colorful and maintaining peace is what we need to commit to,” said Genet.
“Addis Ababa is a city of mysteries. It seems dreary here and very sleepy somewhere else but one could understand its vibrant past, present, and future by deep observation, according to Meaza Samuel, a young entrepreneur who dreams of spreading Ethiopian fabrics to the world. She prefers her business to be eco-friendly and original. Original cultural heritages like Meskel are the events, which Meaza and many young people shine with.
Meaza has been to several countries and her international experiences given her potential clues to come up with her ambitious dreams of spreading Ethiopian origin fabrics by keeping the eco-friendly business responsibility intact. Meanwhile, she has also deep affiliation and knowledge of her home City, Addis Ababa.
When she talks of the residences of Addis Ababa , such as Bole, Arat killo and Sidist Killo, one can see the deep attachment, with some old memories and the present image of these parts of the City, she has. She says, if a tourist wants to enjoy the modern lifestyles of the City, he or she can go to Bole. “Of course, several parts of the City are changing rapidly these days. There’s a lot of construction going. But I love to go to Bole because it’s a place where I can find culture, art, civility and delicacy from people with different nationalities.”
Bole could be a place as Meaza described it but if a tourist wants to buy original Ethiopian traditional clothes, he or she has to pass through Piasa, Arat Killo and Sidist killo and arrive at Shiro Meda. This is the residence, where several colorful Ethiopian traditional fabrics are found and one should not be worried about what to dress for the upcoming outdoor festivals of Irrecha, Fiche Chambalala or Timket (Ethiopian Epiphany).
Kasanchis is another old residence of the City, where many luxury hotels are found. Luxury hotels and apartments may be found elsewhere in the City but the best thing about Kaszanchis is that it is located at the heart of Addis Ababa. The same is true for Mexico, where head offices of governmental and private banks resided.
As Meaza stated it earlier, several parts of the City are changing rapidly, as Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s administration, launched and executed different development projects over the past six years. The Prime Minister, with his vision of making Addis Ababa flower as its name depicts, introduced initiatives that changed the faces of the City despite the Criticisms coming from few skeptical communities of the diaspora. Of course, the Premier has made it clear, when announcing the corridor development project to the parliament that noises and criticisms were expected and going boldly towards the achievement of the project was mandatory.
The commitments of the Premier and the task force, which is mainly comprised of officials from the City Administration, have dramatically changed the image of the City and made it attractive to tourists. The Entoto, Friendship and Unity parks are parts of the City development projects that can testify the commitments and their achievements. Such developmental ambitions could not only change poor images of an old city but also give tourism a chance to show its real identity of it. Outdoor festivals and cultural heritages would also shine and tell more stories about the historical City Addis Ababa. What has been done in the City is also expected to expand in many other towns of the Country.
However, if cultural values must flourish, the values of peace are also expected to be considered by citizens, and keeping unity is mandatory.
BY NAOL GIRMA
The Ethiopian Herald September 27/2024
