Sep 28 , 2019
Thousands of people congregated in Mesqel Square in Addis Abeba on Friday, September 27, 2019, to celebrate the annual religious festival, Mesqel, which the square is named after. Thousands of people congregated in Mesqel Square in Addis Abeba on Friday, September 27, 2019, to celebrate the annual religious festival, Mesqel, which the square is named after. It is a yearly celebration of the faithful in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. According to the church's tradition, it is a celebration of the finding of the cross upon which Jesus was crucified. It is believed that the mother of Constantine, Saint Helena, saw a vision instructing her to find the lost cross. She had the people of Jerusalem burn a huge bonfire, and the direction of the smoke pointed to where the cross was found, according to legend. It is to commemorate this act of Helena that the bonfire, Demera, is lit in the middle of the square each year. It is a colourful and joyous celebration with thousands of priests and choirs from all the churches in the city and its surrounding area turning out adorned in their beautiful robes, displaying crosses and ceremonial umbrellas, singing and dancing to the beats of drums and cymbals. The square was a rhapsody of colours and songs filled with ecstatic crowds.
It is a yearly celebration of the faithful in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
Among tight security, the people started streaming toward Mesqel Square early in the morning. Most main roads surrounding the square were closed to traffic from around 8:00am. Except for a stray bull that ran into the square, goring a few people and frightening the large crowd, the celebrations concluded without incident.
According to the church's tradition, it is a celebration of the finding of the cross upon which Jesus was crucified.
PUBLISHED ON
Sep 28,2019 [ VOL
20 , NO
1013]
Commentaries | Oct 12,2024
Editorial | Mar 09,2024
Fortune News | Feb 23,2019
Fortune News | May 04,2019
View From Arada | Nov 18,2023
Letter To Editor | Nov 16,2019
Radar | Oct 24,2020
Fortune News | Jun 29,2019
Photo Gallery | Sep 09,2020
Viewpoints | May 11,2019
Dec 22 , 2024 . By TIZITA SHEWAFERAW
Charged with transforming colossal state-owned enterprises into modern and competitiv...
Aug 18 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO
Although predictable Yonas Zerihun's job in the ride-hailing service is not immune to...
Jul 28 , 2024 . By TIZITA SHEWAFERAW
Unhabitual, perhaps too many, Samuel Gebreyohannes, 38, used to occasionally enjoy a couple of beers at breakfast. However, he recently swit...
Jul 13 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO
Investors who rely on tractors, trucks, and field vehicles for commuting, transporting commodities, and f...
Aug 30 , 2025
For Germans, Otto von Bismarck is first remembered as the architect of a unified nati...
Aug 23 , 2025
Banks have a new obsession. After decades chasing deposits and, more recently, digita...
Aug 16 , 2025
A decade ago, a case in the United States (US) jolted Wall Street. An ambulance opera...
Aug 9 , 2025
In the 14th Century, the Egyptian scholar Ibn Khaldun drew a neat curve in the sand....
Loading your updates...