Ethiopians celebrate Meskel in Oakland
on September 30, 2015
Ethiopians from the Bay Area gathered at Medhani Alem Ethiopian Orthodox Church on Sunday to celebrate Meskel, a holiday that commemorates the finding of the True Cross by Saint Helena.
The celebration dates back to the 4th Century AD when Saint Helena is believed to have burnt incense and followed the smoke to find the True Cross on which Jesus was crucified. Today, Ethiopians commemorate by creating and burning a Demara, a sacred bonfire made using Eucalyptus branches and decorated with yellow daisies, adey ababa. Meskel is an important holiday, the first on the Ethiopian Orthodox calendar, which starts a new year on September. 11.
For Ethiopians in the Bay Area, Meskel is a chance to bond and reminisce about the holiday season back home. “It’s a big, big holiday and it reminds me of being home, how families celebrate and eat together,” said Zemen Gebremariam who travelled from San Francisco for the celebration.
For others, the celebration is a time to keep their Ethiopian culture alive. “We always like to come celebrate and socialize because it helps us reconnect with our roots,” said Salome Habte who has been living in the Bay Area for almost 20 years.
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- At the Meskel celebration at Medhani Alem Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Oakland, a woman prepares ketifo, raw beef infused with butter, salt, coriander and pepper.
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- A lady serves buna, traditional Ethiopian coffee, typically accompanied with a small serving of pop corn.
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- Friends and family gather to share a traditional meal of injera, traditional flatbread, ketifo, raw beef, and vegetables.
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- Hirut Worku, 2, waves her Ethiopian flag.
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- Kidest Miktu, a popular Ethiopian gospel singer, entertains the crowd.
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- A man displays a painting on Saint Mary the Virgin done by an Ethiopian based artist, Sale Tesfay. The painting auctioned for $1,950 and the money was donated to the church.
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- Crowds sing and dance in celebration. A man plays the traditional Kebero drum.
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- Deacons burn incense and bless the crowd before the Demara is set alight.
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- Alba Melke Sidke, Bishop of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in California, sits in his throne as he listens to a deacon leading the crowd in prayer.
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- Volunteers unveil the Demara seconds before it is set on fire. The Damera is a sacred bonfire made using Eucalyptus branches and decorated with yellow daisies, adey ababa.
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- Alba Melke Sidke sets the Demara on fire.
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- Crowds go around the Demara in song and dance.
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- A woman holds on to her Ethiopian flag as the crowd dances around the Demara.
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