| Ethiopia Travel & Tour Information
Finding
of the True Cross - Meskal
Meskal
has been celebrated in the country for over 1600 years. The word
actually means "cross" and the feast commemorates the
discovery of the cross upon which Jesus was crucified, by the
Empress Helena, the mother of Constantine the Great. The original
event took place on 19 March 326 AD. but the feast is now
celebrated on 27 September.
Many
of the rites observed throughout the festival are said to be
directly connected to the legend of Empress Helena. On the eve of
Meskal, tall branches are tied together and yellow daisies,
popularly called Meskal Flowers, are placed at the top. During the
night those branches are gathered together in front of the
compound gates and ignited - This symbolizes the actions of the
Empress who, when no one would show the Holy Sepulcher, lit
incense and prayed for help. Where the smoke drifted, she dug and
found three roses. To one of the three, on the True Cross of
Jesus, many miracles were attributed.
Meskal
also signifies the physical presence of part of the True Cross at
the
church
of
Egziabher Ab
, the remote mountain monastery of Gishen Mariam located 483 kms
north of
Addis Ababa
in Wello administrative zone. In this monastery, there is a
massive volume called the Tefut written during the reign of Zera
Yacob (1434 - 1468), which records the story of how a fragment of
the cross was acquired.
During
this time of the year flowers gloom on mountain and plain and the
meadows are yellow with the brilliant Meskal daisy. Dancing,
feasting, merrymaking, bonfires and even gun salutes mark the
occasion. The festival begins by planting a green tree on Meskal
eve in town squares and village market places. Everyone brings a
pole topped with Meskal daisies to form the towering pyramid that
will be a beacon of flame. Torches of tree branches tied up
together called "Chibo" are used to light the bundle
called "Demera".
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Rena,
Oded, Uri & Ariella from Israel
I
will never forget Lalibela and the people we met there ...the sweet
children that adopted us and followed us all around.
We arrived in Lalibela on a Saturday and saw the long March to the
Market and it was so beautiful and also sad because we understood
how far the people had to work and carry. learn
more |
