Meskel: Ethiopian Orthodox Religious Holiday, AKA Long Weekend!!

September 27th marks the celebration of Meskel, The Finding of the True Cross.  This annual religious holiday commemorates the discovery of the cross upon which Jesus was crucified by Queen Helena (Saint Helena) in the fourth century.  Ethiopians have been celebrating this day for a millennium.  Paul and I were happy to be here for our 1st Meskel.  The celebration starts the night before with thousands (and I mean thousands!) of onlookers gathering in Meskel Square to witness the burning of a large bonfire or demera. The demera is topped by a cross to which flowers are tied. The flowers are yellow Meskel daisies. Orthodox Priests in full ceremonial dress sing and dance around the bonfire .  Some maintain that the direction of the smoke and the final collapse of the demera indicate the course of future events.   This type of folklore is reminiscent of Punxsutawney Phil, the famous groundhog who's shadow has the power to predict another 6 weeks of Winter or the beginning of Spring.  I guess if you believe that then the collapse of the demera would be significant.  Paul and I parked up the hill from Meskel Square at the Hilton and walked towards the Square.  Paul was busy snapping pics while I collected leaflets from people shoving them in my hands. The flyers (all in Amharic) meant nothing to me, but it seemed to make them happy that I took them. The closer we got to the Square, the greater the volume of people.  There were also lots of people in ceremonial dress walking down the main street.  Closer to the tall demera there were groups from various churches, dressed in long robes, who would ultimately light the bonfire.  This being the location of the biggest bonfire also meant the most people, but throughout the city and on neighborhood streets people also built smaller bonfires adorned with the yellow Meskel flowers.  By this point we had seen and experienced enough of the celebration.  The volume of people was becoming a bit intimidating and I was more than satisfied to watch the burning of the demera from a TV screen.  We retraced our steps back to the Hilton, a bit harder this way as we were heading up hill.   From our vantage point at the Hilton we sat and enjoyed watching the lighting ceremony, our comfort zone restored.  We also enjoyed the best pizza we have had so far in Addis.  The key appears to ask for extra toppings, notably sauce and cheese.

Friday, September 27th is actually Meskel and we ( especially Paul) enjoyed the fact that it was an official day off.  Aynalem and her husband Bariket invited us for lunch for a traditional Ethiopian meal.  Her brother Tedros was visiting so he joined us as well.  I am quite pleased that I appear to be getting the knack of using injera as an all purpose fork, knife and spoon.  I am by no means proficient (yet or maybe never will), but for now I can scoop up most of my food with minimal mess and embarrassment.  The meal was delicious and we were more than satisfied as Aynalem and Bariket tried to encourage us to eat more and more.  The meal ends with the customary coffee ceremony.  The coffee, served in small cups is accompanied by freshly popped popcorn and traditional Ethiopian bread.  It is also traditional to have 3 cups, so all said, Paul and I were more than satisfied when it was time to extend our thanks (ahmessugenalew) and say good bye (Dehna hug and Dehna hugni). Of course we settled for Thank you very much and Happy Meskel,  My Amharic, like eating with injera still has a long ways to go.

Walking down the main street from the Hilton to Meskel Square

Long walk through the crowds

A glimpse of Meskel Square and the people who have been waiting for hours.

Very orderly gathering as evidenced by number of police in blue.

A choir marching and singing down the main street towards Meskel Square.

Orthodox Church along the way.

The bonfire (demera) looks a bit like a Christmas tree.

Groups of Orthodox Priests are gathered waiting for the ceremonial lighting of the demera.

Yellow Meskel daisies.

Up in smoke!

What's all the fuss about?  Everyday is a holiday for me!

Novel Concept: Home Insulation and Double and Triple Pane Windows

These are  natural processes in North America, however, relatively non-existent in Ethiopia.  Ethiopia may not experience the same climate extremes we in North America are accustomed to, but Ethiopia is not immune to "noise" and has some unique sounds to add to the mix.  Let me qualify that.  We are so insulated in our North American homes (especially in the winter and with air conditioning units blasting in the summer) that common noises that I am hearing here seem louder and yes, more annoying.  It's amazing how much one takes for granted the peace and quiet we enjoy at home simply by closing the front door and windows. Sure, some noise comes through, but not to the same extent if your home lacked insulation and the windows were of the one pane variety.  Do you know the expression:  "walls are paper thin?" Well let's just apply that thought to living here in Addis.  First off during the day because we live in a gated community the front door remains wide open all day.  So whether I am sitting in the family room or having a bite to eat in the dining room or I'm 1 level up in our home office or 2 levels up in our home gym, the general activity of the neighborhood is audible. But even if I close the front door it's the same level of noise activity. There's construction activity as two houses are going up across the street and down the street from us, or vendors going by calling out to announce in a monotone fashion the things they are selling (I'm guessing cuz I have no idea what they are actually saying), or cows or goats being herded past our gate on their way to the field, airplanes taking off or landing (airport is not too far away from our home), kids playing and calling out, dogs barking, numerous birds singing,  the odd truck or two rambling down our street and the beep, beep from the horns of cars asking for the gate to be opened.  It's life going on outside our gates, but typically at home I wouldn't have heard it because I was inside.  I don't mind the daytime noise, it's just part of the day's activity, but what I do mind is the activity I hear when I'm trying to sleep.  This is when I sorely miss my nicely insulated Canadian home with it's triple pane windows and R30 insulation.  In the early days of arriving in Ethiopia I suffered from the lingering affects of jet lag. At night I would lay awake and I could hear the planes, which is nothing new to me as planes regularly fly over 4 Greenpointe Drive. It is actually nice hearing the planes as it reminds me of home.  The other sounds I hear would normally have had no affect on me except it sounds like the noise is right inside our bedroom and it can't be easily ignored.  People walk by at all hours and their conversations (of course unintelligible) are loud, the cooing of birds (pigeons) are not soothing at 3 am, there is the buzz of crickets, etc and incessant dog barking.  Yes, of course these are sounds you would hear anywhere, but when you're trying to sleep?  Yup, just plain annoying!  But the single worst noise that I hate hearing, especially if I have had a restless night is the 5 AM  Call to Prayer.  I mean, seriously, this loud, bellowing chant is heard EVERY morning at 5 AM.  It goes on for around 10 minutes, sometimes longer.  Just long enough to wake you up.  Why do people have to be called?  They pray every morning and this Call is made no less than 5 times a day.  Sure do the other 4 times during waking hours for those slow learners, but spare us the 5 AM alert.  Pretty sure they were all on their way anyways, while the rest of us are trying to catch our last zzzzz's before the alarm goes.  I would take ALL the other noises, over this Call to Prayer.  I'm not sure if the reason behind my restless sleeps can all be attributed to our "paper thin walls", but I'm pretty sure it doesn't help.

Next step: ear plugs!

Planes are soothing noises

Pigeons: They are everywhere!

Even 1 can be too much.

Oh leaving?  What a great idea!

Hard to believe how noisy one bird can be!

Pigeons keeping an eye on construction.

Sure, sure, bring your friends.

Construction across the street.

What was that?  Did I hear something?

Let me just flap my ears, I'm sure I heard it!

Another NGO Bazaar and Other Shopping Sources

True to their word this month's NGO Bazaar was held last Saturday, September 21st.  Actually not true to their word since the bazaar is supposed to be the last Saturday of each month.  I am quickly learning that there are always reasons beyond my belief that Ethiopians just love to change the rules.  Actually the annual religious holiday, Meskel, on September 27th  was the reasoning behind changing the date. So undeterred by the why Paul and I fast tracked our Saturday routine (leisurely breakfast = cold cereal and juice) and headed out.  The weather is definitely improving as we are slowly moving from rain everyday to more sunshine with occasional rain.  The average temperature is in the 20-22 Celsius range so not overly hot, but so much nicer than the daily rain I have experienced since my arrival here at the end of July.  When we arrived at the bazaar it was crowded, but there were still lots of things to see.  We've been enjoying buying pictures to decorate our home so we were pleased to see Abera had his booth set up.  Since we first met him at the August 31st bazaar we have commissioned a number of pictures from him.  Today would be no exception.  It seemed fitting to buy an acrylic painting from him that depicted an image of the rainy season.  Abera  then told us that he was getting married Sunday.  We were pleased to share in his happiness with an extra "tip" of congratulations.  We likely have not bought our last Abera Getu original!  We moved from Abera over to the pottery area.  I just love their terracotta pots and added two more to our collection.  I mentioned, from the last bazaar, that I was also interested in their smooth, polished pottery.  This pottery is more expensive, but it is so unique that we indulged in two pieces.  A lot of the other stuff displayed throughout the bazaar is neat to look at, but I wasn't interested in further buying.  Yes, I know, some of you would be shocked that I could show such restraint, but seriously, there are more bazaars to come.

We visited  a new mall which has just opened up and it is really big.  It's 4 levels and it has every variety of store to choose from: clothing, shoes, appliances, electronics, crafts, jewelry, toys, flowers, books, housewares and groceries; you name it, it's there! They had a DJ piping music at an ear shattering levels, face painting and various animal characters walking around.  I found it amusing that face painting was not limited to children as a number of teens and older people were having designs painted on their faces.  I haven't had the nerve to go into any of the clothing stores as yet.  Ethiopians as a rule are pretty small and this is reflected in their clothing size.  Pants and dresses on display always look to be in the 0 to size 2 range.  I had my fill when I was in Cambodia of being told: "No carry big sizes!!"   Right adjacent to this Mall I was shocked to see a Lulu store.  Yes!  Right there is the middle of Addis Ababa.  In my excitement I didn't remark on the absence of the tell tale Lulu lemon insignia. I rushed forward and alas Lulu was just yet another store front filled with dresses, pants, and shirts in sizes ranging from 0-2.  I didn't have my camera otherwise I would have taken a picture.  Later that day as we were heading home we came across another store, closer to our house also called Lulu.  Well fool me once, but not again.! We did go back later on Sunday, camera in hand, to take a picture.  The store was closed at the time so unfortunately the shutters hide the clothes.  You will just have to let your imaginations go, just like mine did before I got closer and realized the sad reality, "Katherine, you're not in Kansas anymore!"

Polished Pottery top and bottom

My favorite shade of black!

Keeping the terracotta going!

Hope our shipping  home allowance has no limit!

Rainy Season in Addis

Old Addis

Going to Market and check out those blue taxis. They are everywhere!

You see of  course Lexxie is part of the family. She has the "affliction". 

Lexxie is not overly impressed with her haircut. 

She's the bomb!

Seriously, do you think it would look better if it were open?

Does anyone really know what time it is?

I'm not being facetious when I ask this question.  After all,  I know people reading my blog are from Ontario, Manitoba, Southampton, UK, Switzerland, Oregon, USA and even Thailand so of course I know to factor in different time zones.  Well, TIA, try factoring in a completely different method of calculating time.  Does it not stand to reason that since it is the year 2006 in Ethiopia that it almost seems perfectly normal that Ethiopian time naturally follows different rules as well?  No?  Well,  although Ethiopia follows the East African Time (EAT)  and abide by UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) they also follow a very non-traditional approach to calculating the time of day .  Paul maintains that it makes perfect sense which I guess is why he had to explain it to me over and over and over again.  So imagine if you will a day that starts at the first hour (1)  and continues to the second hour (2) and continues its natural course to 12 (finally a good number I can work with!!).  Ethiopians feel it's redundant to be keeping time when you are sleeping so why not limit their clock to 12 day time hours rather than the 24 hour clock the rest of the World uses?  I don't get it, how do Ethiopians know what time it is at the start of the day?  Does everyone get up at the same time, eat at the same time and go to sleep at the same time?  Well no of course not!  I must say Paul was very patient as he explained (again) Ethiopia's unique time keeping.  What you need to do, if you want to grasp it is throw out the concept of a 24 hr clock.  So basically visualize a 12 hour clock, but remember the day starts at 1 (6 am on our clock) and by the 6th hour you have reached Noon, except in Ethiopia they call it 6.  Again, do no think of 6 as AM or PM it's just 6 (the 6th hour).  Your body naturally tells you it's time to eat.  Then 6 hrs later it's now 12 (6 pm for us) and you eat again. The time then starts again at 1 again and before you reach the next 6 hours you are fast asleep. Most Ethiopians do not use this clock in the business world, but amongst each other  it is very common to refer to time in terms of hours from 1 - 12 hours. I guess it makes sense to them, but I can't help thinking that there is so much room for confusion. This whole topic of time came up the day Abera called us to advice that the painting we had asked him to make for us was ready.  He called us Saturday morning and said he would meet us at 6 Ethiopian time.  I thought that was kind of late in the day until Paul explained that 6 Ethiopian time was actually noon.  Really??  Wish he had just said that.  So I am not a convert on this time business and will continue to use our tried and true 24 hour clock with AM and PM.  No need to confuse things further as I continually need to adjust my time clock as it is to Ontario and Southampton time differences.  It would be just too much to have to reconcile 2 time calculators (6 hr difference to our calculations) within the same city of Addis Ababa.  TIA, but I will stick with time keeping I learned back in elementary school.  In this case, I'm just too old to learn new tricks.

Paul has just mentioned that this unique spin on calculating the time based on the hours in the day is unique to all of East Africa!!  Gosh, can hardly wait to get to Tanzania for our family Safari.  Hopefully we're on time!!  

Clock gone wild! Ethiopians persist in being 6 hours behind. Why???

East African clock , before Ethiopians take a spin at it.

Happy New Year or Enkutatash (Amharic) or What I originally Said!

No, I'm not trying to be the first to say Happy New Year and being in Africa has not affected my ability to read a calendar.  The problem is what calendar are you referring to.  I really never gave it much thought as my assumption was that the World followed the same calendar and we were basically differentiated from one another by time zones.  Not so. The Ethiopian calendar (Amharic: የኢትዮጵያ ዘመን አቆጣጠር yä'Ityoṗṗya zämän aḳoṭaṭär), also called the Ge'ez calendar, is the principal calendar used in Ethiopia.   It is based on the older Alexandrian or Coptic Calendar.  The Ethiopian calendar like the Coptic calendar has twelve months of exactly 30 days each plus five or six "extra" days, which comprise a thirteenth month. So, and this is when it gets a bit convoluted,  the sixth "extra" day is added every four years on August 29, thus the first day of the Ethiopian year is usually September 11 or September 12th on our leap year.    No, what?? Yeah, I hear you, I can not understand how adding some 5 or 6 extra day gives you a 13th month or even understanding that, why it follows that September 11th is Ethiopian New Year's Day.  Okay, so "assuming" some of you have made the logical leap and get why September 11th would be Ethiopian New Year can anyone (anyone at all) explain why we in Ethiopia are celebrating 2006?  Yes indeed, Paul and I went to sleep September 10, 2013 (in our reality) and woke up 7 years younger.  Have to say I felt the same, but there you have it Happy 2006 New Year!!  Apparently and feel free to roll your eyes in disbelief, but the 7 year discrepancy between the Ethiopian Calendar and our Gregorian Calendar originated over an alternate calculation in determining  the actual date that Jesus was conceived (Annunciation of Jesus).  Now I'm no expert here and can only lay claim to the fact that I did carry and deliver two babies, but last I checked the time frame from conception to birth is 9 months. I have never claimed to be a math whiz, but what "alternate calculation" was used to arrive at a 7 YEAR difference??

My head hurts and it's not because Paul and I toasted in the New Year with a nice French Merlot. As the old saying goes, "when in Rome, do as an Ethiopian does" HEY, they can change a calendar, so grant me some leeway to change an expression.  Paul and I decided to go out and stop trying to understand the meaning behind celebrating New Year's Eve in September.  We went out to what is fast becoming our favorite restaurant:  The Four Seasons.  The restaurant serves menu choices from Japan, Pakistan and my personal favorite, Thailand.  The Chef is from Pakistan and thus far everything we have sampled has been wonderful.  I know Paul is laughing because each time we go he tries something new, but alas, Four Seasons had me at Pad Thai.  I keep promising to try something else (we've been there 5 times) and each time I order the same words come out, "Spring rolls and Pad Thai  please."   

 Most Ethiopians spend New Year's Eve at home with family so it was no surprise to us that all the patrons in the restaurant were ferenji.  The table of 16 beside us were still there, eating and imbibing, when Paul and I finished our meal and wine.

 New Year's Day is an official holiday so it was nice for Paul to have the day off.  Again, most Ethiopians spend the day with family so Paul and I spent it with each other.  That was until, Temesgen (our wonderful gardener and jack of all trades) invited us for what we originally thought was to enjoy a coffee ceremony. It ended up being a wonderful and delicious Ethiopian meal, followed by the traditional coffee ceremony.  It doesn't take long to realize the generous and kind nature of most Ethiopians.  Temesgen lives in a small space within our property, but he hosted quite the spread.  It was traditional fare so needless to say there was no available cutlery.  Hey, when in Rome you just have to make do.  So using my injera I ate, perhaps less like  an Ethiopian and more like a Canadian looking for a fork and it was delicious.

It was a nice way to spend our first Ethiopian New Year's Day.  It's also nice  knowing that this year we celebrate New Year's twice.  I guess the only down side is that when January 1, 2014 arrives in 4 month's time Paul and I will look back at Ethiopia 2006 and marvel at how fast time flies. 

  

All Dressed Up and Ready to Go To Dinner

Did Lexxie photo bomb this picture, again?

Addis NGO Bazaar

Since my arrival in Ethiopia I have had to "adjust" to the lack of shopping opportunities.  For those who know me well, is there any finer way of spending a weekend than shopping till you drop and then shopping some more?  No need to get bogged down with rational thoughts like: "Do you think you can fit any more clothes in your closet?" or perhaps Doris's favorite "Shoes? Did some one say shoes?" or "What do you mean, do I really "need" to buy more?" or "Seriously, doesn't everyone always need more?"   Oh, how I miss those careless, frivolous shopping weekends in Toronto and Watertown. But alas, I have not allowed geography to quell my shopping spirit. I've simply adjusted and opened myself up to new shopping needs. Paul just shakes his head in bewilderment.  Fortunately, my "joy of shopping" for Paul is simply a foible and not a fatal flaw.  He views shopping as a "necessity", but clearly we differ in the interpretation of necessity.

I experienced my first bazaar last weekend at the Addis NGO Bazaar. I was not disappointed.  This is a monthly bazaar, held on the last Saturday of every month, except during rainy season.  The bazaar has a wide assortment of goods produced by various NGOs in the region. For those who don't know (I had to ask after all) NGO stands for Non-Governmental Organization. In other words they are not funded by the government and they are not for profit.  This bazaar showcases an array of  goods for sale which were made by the beneficiaries of the NGO. These sales generate the necessary revenue required to continue  their respective programs.  All of the crafts were produced by the beneficiaries of the NGOs such as leprosy patients, street kids, abandoned women and people living with disabilities.  The program teaches them skills that result in the crafts that made up this bazaar.

The bazaar is held at the Evangelical Church and it is a combination of inside and outside displays, hence the reasoning behind not holding it during rainy season.  August 31st  proved to be a bright, sunny day and a wonderful way to while away a morning.  It was a veritable United Nations of ferenji (foreigners). We heard German, Italian, Chinese, Eastern European, Hindi and of course native Amharic.  The crafts did not disappoint:  pottery, wool spun carpets, art work, jewelry, pillows, quilts, woven baskets, games, Ethiopian carvings, painted mirrors and wall plaques, vegetables, potted flowers, assorted baked goods and Ethiopian coffee beans.  More than enough to look at and buy for the crowds of ferenji who attended.

Paul and I had to make a few trips back to our car to store our "purchases".  It being our first bazaar I was interested in seeing everything.  We are still decorating our home and making it our own, so this bazaar provided some nice choices.  The pottery was just wonderful and we settled on an array of 3 pots.  I remember Patti always saying you should buy in threes.  They also had a display of smooth, polished pots, but Paul wisely advised that we could always buy more next month.  "Shopping restraint", hmmmm, interesting concept!  We checked out the linens and picked up pillows and pillow covers for our living room. We then moved on to look at some local art work.  Brookie you would fit in very nicely with your artistic talent.  We started talking to one artist, Abera and settled on 2 unframed watercolors. We also ordered a canvas acrylic painting. We have since picked up the finished painting and we were so pleased that we ordered two more canvas paintings.  We had the watercolors framed and they are now up on our walls.  

Clay pot trio.

Framed pic by Abera Getu

Framed pic by Abera Getu

Acrylic painting on canvas by Abera Getu

Pillow assortment or pic of Lexxie?  You be the judge.

Urn and stand we ordered at a store on Bole.  Wish I had some ringette sticks to put in it!

All in all a good day of shopping and there still lies the promise of more. Apparently, in addition to the monthly NGO Bazaar there is the German Christmas Bazaar, the Diplomat's Bazaar and the Artisans' Bazaar.  (sigh!) Hey if you think life has thrown you lemons, well geez, why not make lemonade? Shopping is what you make of it!