Meskel festival
E601515
The Meskel festival is a major Ethiopian Orthodox Christian celebration commemorating the finding of the True Cross, marked by large public gatherings, processions, and bonfires.
All labels observed (1)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Meskel festival canonical | 1 |
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Ethiopian Orthodox Christian feast
ⓘ
religious festival ⓘ |
| associatedWith |
Emperor Constantine the Great
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Empress Helena NERFINISHED ⓘ Holy Cross NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| celebratedBy |
Eritrean Orthodox Christians
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Ethiopian Orthodox Christians NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| celebratedIn |
Eritrea
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Ethiopia NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| commemorates |
Finding of the True Cross
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
discovery of the cross of Jesus Christ ⓘ |
| country | Ethiopia ⓘ |
| culturalSignificance |
major national holiday in Ethiopia
ⓘ
marker of the new year agricultural season ⓘ occasion for family reunions ⓘ symbol of Christian identity in Ethiopia ⓘ |
| date |
17 Meskerem (Ethiopian calendar)
ⓘ
27 September (Gregorian calendar) ⓘ 28 September in leap years (Gregorian calendar) ⓘ |
| dressCode | white traditional clothing (shamma, netela) ⓘ |
| foodTradition |
festive meals with meat dishes
ⓘ
sharing of injera and wot ⓘ |
| hasComponent |
Demera ceremony
ⓘ
daytime liturgy ⓘ eve celebrations on the night before Meskel ⓘ public gathering at Meskel Square ⓘ |
| hasRitual |
blessing by priests and bishops
ⓘ
incense burning ⓘ lighting of bonfires ⓘ public processions ⓘ singing of hymns ⓘ veneration of the cross ⓘ |
| hasRitualObject |
Demera bonfire
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
flowers and green grass ⓘ wooden cross ⓘ |
| hasSymbol |
cross of flowers and greenery placed on the bonfire
ⓘ
smoke direction interpreted as omen ⓘ |
| languageOfCelebration |
Amharic
ⓘ
Geʽez NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| liturgicalColor | white ⓘ |
| mainLocation |
Ethiopian Orthodox churches
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Meskel Square, Addis Ababa NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| music |
traditional Ethiopian Orthodox chants
ⓘ
use of drums and sistrums ⓘ |
| publicHolidayIn | Ethiopia NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| religion | Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| season | end of the rainy season in Ethiopia ⓘ |
| UNESCOInscriptionYear | 2013 ⓘ |
| UNESCOStatus | inscribed on UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.