Meskel, Finding of the True Cross
Officially - in the eyes of the papacy and much of the Vatican-centred Catholic faith - Meskel is a minor Christian feast, only celebrated by the staunch conservatives. In Ethiopia, however, this is not the case, and the country grinds to a standstill during this festive period. Considered a hugely important public holiday in Ethiopia, Meskel is now on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the UN Agency for Education, Science and Culture. Ethiopian New Year
Ethiopians follow a 13-month calendar similar to that used in many Eastern Orthodox churches, trailing the western calendar by seven years and eight months.
On the Gregorian calendar, the Ethiopian New year falls on the 11th of September. Timket ( gena) is the greatest festival of the Ethiopian year, falling just 2 weeks after Ethiopian Christmas. It is actually a 3-day affair preceded by the eve of Timket, when the dramatic processions take place through a night of fasting, to the great day itself and the commemoration of Christ’s baptism in the Jordan River.
Ashendye is a unique traditional festival which takes place in august to make the ending fasting called Filseta. This event is mostly for girls and young women, which they await very eagerly every year. The name of the festival, ‘Ashendye,’ comes from the name of tall grass that the girls make into a skirt and it around their waist as a decoration. The young women and girls dress in the best traditional dresses called tifitef, which is a cotton dress decorated with amazing embroidery from the neck to toe in front of the dress. The girls also adored themselves with an array of beautiful jewellery.