Meskal – Finding of The True Cross

Meskel is second in importance only to Timekt and has been celebrated in the country for over 1,600 years. The word actually means “cross ‘”and the feast commemorates the discovery of the cross –upon which Jesus was crucified –by the Empress Helena, the mother of Constastin the great. The original event took palce on 19th of March, AD 326, but the feast is now celebrated on 27th of September. It also signifies the physical presence of the true cross at the remote mountain monastery of Gishen Mariam located in the Welo region. During this time of the year, vast bonfires are lit countrywide, the night before the celebration, and on the day itself there are dances and feasting for everyone. This festival also coincides with the mass blooming of the golden yellow “Meskel daisies ‘called adey abeba in Amharic. People of all ages are seen in the streets carrying fresh bunches of yellow flowers.