The followers of Christianity in Ethiopia today celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. The Three wise men, biblical magi, went to Jesus’ birthplace with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Some religious scholars say particularly frankincense originated from East Africa. And probably, one of the wise men is from Ethiopia. The wise men’s gifts also have their own religious interpretations. Overall, they announced the end of a dark era.
As Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (Ph.D) said it in his message in connection with the Day, “hatred, separation and destruction are not of ours.” Of course, the true hallmark of we Ethiopians is the wisdom that always decorates us. History has already registered in golden ink that the shared wisdom of Ethiopians helped to ignite the engine of freedom and independence among the oppressed.
Ethiopian Christians, this year mark Genna, the Ethiopian version of Christmas Day, in a unique way. The northern war that left a dark spot in the country’s history concluded with the signing of a peace accord in Pretoria. Since the eve of the celebration, hundreds of thousands of domestic and foreign tourists and the followers of Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido are assembled in Lalibela town to mark the Day in an awe-inspiring way. The colorful grand celebration at the Rock-Hewn Churches of Lalibela is yet another indicator of the reign of peace in Ethiopia.
The clergymen of all the 11 churches of Lalibela, dressed up in attires embroidered in gold and a unique cloak chant ‘Beza Kulu Alem Yom Tewelde’ literally means ‘behold the savior of the entire world is now born’. Of course, this season could be taken as one of the peaks for tourists because another such sort of celebration would follow in the historical city of Gondar in about two weeks to mark the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptism.
Today Ethiopians are nurturing reconciliation, peace and the rebuilding of the country. The dark spot is being removed. What comes next is sitting together and harnessing the Ethiopian wisdom that has been with us since time immemorial. The National Dialogue would start in the coming March and we would use it to undo our major problems.
True, the news released from Pretoria that heralded the peace talks were ended in full agreement of the two parties’ warmed the hearts of everyone. Consequently, the information aired through different media channels was changed from breaking news of the war to good news of peace, rehabilitation, reconstruction and aid provision for the needy. Over and beyond, it unveils the wisdom of Ethiopians before the eyes of the world.
The peace agreement, in the actual state, is a great accomplishment that proved the effective efforts of Africans to settle Africa’s problems with African solutions. As of the date the agreement was reached, both parties; the government and TPLF have shown keen interest in the fulfillment of all contents of it and the outcomes are commendable. The days ahead show us more about the consolidation of peace and reconciliation in Ethiopia. Ethiopia continues to ascend to the next height.
The Ethiopian Herald 7 January 2023
