Thousands gather in Ethiopia’s capital to celebrate a religious festival. Many are thinking of peace
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia AP Thousands of Ethiopians gathered in the capital Thursday to celebrate an annual religious festival distinguished by the lighting of bonfires according to the beliefs of the local Orthodox Christian faithful. National celebrations of the festival, known as Meskel, traditionally happen in a square by the same name in Addis Ababa. It […]
In COVID-19 trimmed Meskel festival, Ethiopian Orthodox Church Patriarch urges peace
In Meskel celebrations held under World Health Organization COVID-19 safety protocols, Abune Mathias, Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, called for dialogue, peace and reconciliation in the country, where ethnic tensions recently flared up. At the Meskel Square – a ground in the capital, Addis Ababa named after the festival and where the celebrations are traditionally […]
Ethiopians celebrate Meskel festival
Via World Council of Churches Ethiopians have celebrated the annual festival of the Meskel (which means “cross” in Amharic), marking the finding of the “true cross” on which Jesus Christ was supposedly crucified. The festival is one of the major religious celebrations of the Orthodox Church in the Horn of Africa country. The main national […]