Curious about Ethiopia and what you might experience there? From its ancient history and rock-hewn churches of Lalibela to its mountains, bustling markets, delicious cuisine, coffee ceremonies and more, here are a few reasons why you should travel to Ethiopia.
Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity and living history
Ethiopia is one of the earliest nations to adopt Christianity (in 330 A.D.). Whether they are Rock-Hewn or tucked far into the hills, Ethiopia’s churches often feature original paintings and frescoes from as much as 1000 years ago or more. Ancient texts and relics remain in use by today’s priests who bless all those willing by rubbing large ancient metal crosses over afflicted areas of the body. In the Gheralta Mountains of Tigray State, churches were carved out of natural mountaintop caves as long ago as the fourth century.
The idea is resulted from hiding the churches from invading armies while bringing oneself much closer to heaven. Ethiopia feels very much like a case study in living history. An experience that is as much about feeling energy as it is about seeing the relics and remnants of an ancient history.
Land of Legends
“The story goes… Ethiopian history blends fact and myth almost seamlessly. (Some may even say shamelessly.) So much of Ethiopia’s identity is connected to its history, a history passed on orally which traces its roots back four thousand years to the Queen of Sheba, King Solomon and the Ark of the Covenant. For over thousand years, Ethiopian kings claimed to be direct descendants of the line of Solomon, living connections between their country, its history, and the Holy Land. Amidst all that, stories and legends circulate in a fog akin to a long-running historical version of the telephone game.
Mountains and desert scape interactive
The Gheralta Mountains is found near the Town of Hawzia in Ethiopia’s Tigray State. Not only does the area surprise and stun with its Utah-reminiscent red rock backdrop and outcroppings, but treks to 1500-year old cave churches like Maryam Korkor and Daniel Korkor leave no adrenaline untapped as they force challenging climbs up sheer sandstone walls and precarious walks along narrow cliffs. Not for the faint of heart or for those unwilling to press deeply into their fear of heights.
Ancient Language, Ancient Civilization
In and around the ancient sites that make up the modern day northern town of Aksum, stone tablets dating back thousands of years will often be inscribed in three languages: Greek, Arabic, and Ge’ez, an ancient
Semitic language that predates Ethiopia’s present-day regional languages. Giant stone obelisks stand, lean and have fallen. While most recognize the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Persia, Rome and Greece among the greats, few know of the similarly advanced Aksumite civilization which made its name in trade across the Middle East, Mediterranean and Asia from 400 B.C. to 800 A.D.
All monks and priests are required to learn Ge’ez and services are still held in this ancient language. In the early hours of the morning, Ge’ez chants and melodies echo through the hills. With over 200 symbols, Ge’ez– mesmerizing spaghetti of symbols to the uninitiated — now serves as the phonetic alphabet for Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia.
Ethiopian coffee ceremony
There is nothing more disappointing than a coffee-producing country that does not actively consume and appreciate what it grows. No worry of this in Ethiopia: they not only grow the beans, but they also carry a proficiency in roasting, so much so that coffee roasting seems a rite of passage for young women across the country. Unsurprising considering that Ethiopia’s Kaffa region is where coffee is said to have originated.
The Ethiopian coffee ceremony is deliberate, a process that has been handed down through generations of Ethiopian women for centuries. It has an almost magical way of seeming to slow time, if not stop it altogether.
Coffee is central to Ethiopian life and pace. You will find coffee ceremonies taking place throughout the country in cafes, on street corners, in markets and most importantly in homes. Fronds and greens scattered on the ground, frankincense alight and in a pot, young green coffee beans roasting in a small pan over a charcoal stove, a delicate passing of water through the grounds until the ideal strength is achieved. Coffee drinkers rejoice. All others, just behold.
Ethiopian Food
Ethiopian cuisine is one of the great cuisines of the world, I had venture. In any event, it stands out against its neighbors with an array of rich and spicy stews.
Ask an Ethiopian the most important part of any meal and she will answer injera, the spongy, stretchy pancake-like flatbread made from fermented teff (a gluten-free grain indigenous to Ethiopia). Injera forms the foundation of every Ethiopian meal. You will often find a round of injera spread out like a natural platter atop which a variety of spicy stews made from lentils, meats and vegetables blended with spices blends like Berbere (ground chilies mixed with upwards of 15-20 ingredients) are piled. Although the presentation and flavor hints of an Indian thali, the Ethiopian table is very much to itself.
Traditional music and eskista, shoulder dancing Think “dancing in Africa” and you might appropriately imagine hips and butts moving and shaking in ways that blow the mind of those not of the continent. But in northern Ethiopia, the shoulders and upper body are the stars of the dancing show in something called eskista. Traditional night clubs usually feature a group of professional dancers, but even better than those are the impromptu “dance offs” between two club-goers who try to out-shoulder one another. The beat, the energy, the atmosphere, all are superbly infectious.
Market days are social days
You can always tell market days in rural areas. For kilometers on end, roads are clogged even more so than usual with people from all neighboring villages carrying their goods to market – sheep, goats, wares, foodstuffs. It does not matter how much or how little you have to sell: any and all are clearly welcome.
And they are coming. Ethiopian traditional markets are sprawling affairs with goods arranged accordingly: all the peppers here, all the green coffee beans there, homeopathic treatment for the cows somewhere in an open field in the distance. Beyond the sale, these markets bind this primarily agrarian society. They provide an essential social focal point — not just for the trade of goods, but for the trade in life.
(Source: https://uncorneredmarket.com/ethiopia-travel)
COMPILED BY LEULSEGED WORKU
The Ethiopian Herald June 10/2021
