Meskal

Recently, Ethiopia celebrated a holiday called Meskal.  Meskal is an Orthodox Christian holiday that celebrates the finding of the true cross.  Meskal generally falls on September 27^th (September 28^th during leap years).  According to the cross-cultural workbook that was received during the first three months in country (pre service training), Meskal commemorates the discovery of the cross by the Empress Helena (Ileni), upon which Jesus was crucified.  Also, many of the rites observed on this holiday are said to be directly connected to the legend of Empress Helena.

On the eve of Meskal (September 26^th), tall branches are tied together and yellow daisies called meskal daisies are placed at the top of the branches.  During the day or night the branches are lit, usually in front of a compound or in large city centers to symbolize the actions of the Empress who, when no one would show her the holy tomb, lit incense and prayed for help.  The cross-cultural workbook goes on to say that the smoke drifted and beneath it she dug to find three roses, one of which was on the True Cross of Jesus.  Meskal also signifies the physical presence of part of the True Cross at the church of Egzaibher Ab (also known as Ghision Murium), which is located 483 Km north of Addis Ababa in the Wello zone.

In Woliso, the Meskal celebrations began on the eve of Meskal with a service in the football stadium beginning around 3pm.  There was a large procession that paraded to the stadium.  My sitemates and I followed the procession which we found to include groups of kids banging drums and dancing, people dressed in traditional clothing and even a marching band (I was extremely excited to discover that there are marching bands in Ethiopia because I was in my high school marching band).  Of course, it was noticed that there were ferenji (foreigners) present as the three of us walked into the stadium and we were led to the area of seats reserved primarily for military and other very important community members.  As a side note, as a ferenji, I have noticed that I usually receive the “royal” treatment like this or get attention that is not really appreciated (such as staring and being asked for money).

Now back to the Meskal celebrations…  The service was surprisingly organized for what we would expect of a program in Ethiopia.  Despite some technical difficulties with the speaker system and the being people everywhere, the program itself when fairly smoothly.  There was some music from the marching band, a lot of singing (from Church members as well as from the kids participating in the service), as well as a skit, prayers, as well as other speeches that for the most part were incomprehensible for those of us with limited Amharic skills.  As per usually, we were only able to make it through a bit over two hours of the service, because honestly, it can be a little hard to sit there that long and not be able to understand much of what is going on.  Despite not sitting through the whole service and not understanding much of what was being said, the service itself was cool and I really did enjoy it.

At the end of the service (around nightfall), the burning of the cross began.  There was a cross brought to the stadium for the service and the burning began here.  As mentioned above, there were tall branches with daisies located in front of almost every compound throughout Woliso.  The burning first began in the stadium.  Once the fire started, torches were lit and the burning slowly spread through town as each pile of branches and daisies were lit on fire using the torches.  It was a really cool thing to experience.

And on the day of Meskal, like so many other holidays, people spend time with their families and eat a ton of food.  It seems like the most common food that is eaten for almost every holiday is duro wat and kitfo.  Duro wat is a dish with chicken and has a sauce that is made up of tomatoes, unions, burbory, etc.  Almost all wat-based dishes are made up of those ingredients.  Kitfo is a dish with ground raw meat with a lot of different spices.  Also, traditional Ethiopian drinks such as Tej are also commonly made and drank on holidays such as Meskal.  Similar to the other two major holidays that I have already experienced while being in Ethiopia, Easter (Fasika) and the Ethiopian New Year, during Meskal, I visited multiple homes throughout the day and was fed at each place.

*As a side note for those who have never been to Ethiopia (especially if you are considering traveling to Ethiopia at some point):  Many people can be very welcoming, especially when it comes to holidays.  I have learned that they love to invite you in and feed you (no matter how many houses you have already visited and how much you may have already eaten).  In Ethiopia, it is considered rude not to feed your guests.  Also, many will also give you at least one or two cups of coffee after the meal.  And be warned… in many parts of Ethiopia, it is common to drink coffee with salt and/or butter.  So don’t be surprised if you visit Ethiopia during a holiday and can’t make it through the day without eating an improbable amount of duro wat and drinking at least five or six cups of coffee.  It would not be surprising if you were ready to pass out from a food coma by the end of the day.

What I love about Meskal is that it is one of the many holidays unique to Ethiopia in which you can really see the culture that is specific to this country and the pride that people so clearly have for this place.  It is amazing to see how Ethiopians celebrate and see their culture shining through the celebrations because it is distinctly different from what you would generally think of when you think of a country in Africa.  I think that is one thing that I really do love about serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ethiopia.  Despite Ethiopia being in Africa, it is so distinctly different in culture, holidays, language, etc. from other African countries and what would be thought of when thinking of an African country.

I’m not gonna lie, some days are a struggle and at times the thought of going back to the states crosses my mind.  But I think the struggles make me a stronger person and I learn so much about myself when I am faced with one struggle or another.    Granted, I did know that these two years in Ethiopia would not be a cakewalk.   I love the holidays in Ethiopia because it reminds me of how unique and different Ethiopia is from other countries and I definitely see the better side of Ethiopia during the holidays.  Holidays never fail to bring out the culture of Ethiopia and bring out a very welcoming side of the people.  I can usually see the culture of the country and see how welcoming people can be on a regular basis, but I think these things are more evident during holidays and other special occasions.  Also, I have noticed that it seems like I receive less harassment during holidays.

I have always loved celebrating holidays, and one of the highlights of my experience so far is learning about the holidays that are specific to Ethiopia and being surrounded by the unique and exciting ways in which people celebrate here.  With each new holiday I experience here, I become that much more excited about being able to experience the next one.