Meskal (The Finding of the True Cross) – 27th September

If you come to Ethiopian on the the 27th of  September, you will have the chance to experience the UNESCO inscribe Meskel. This holiday is celebrated with colorful dancing, feasting, and lighting a large bonfire known in Ethiopian tradition as “Demera”. The Demera procession and bonfire starts the evening before Meskel, on September 26th. This holiday commemorates a day from the 4th century when the mother of Constantine, Empress Helena, claims to have discovered the true cross on which Jesus of Nazareth died. According to legend, the Empress sent pieces of the cross to various churches, including one to the Ethiopian church, which is now buried in the side of the mountain Amba Geshen, near the ancient and sacred Gishen Mariam monastery.