Holidays, holidays, so many holidays

Last Sabbath was the first Sabbath I’ve spent at Kalaala (the one prior was spent at the US embassy) and it was very enjoyable. The children put on a special program for church and the entire service was conducted by them. They performed songs, preached a sermon, put on a play and although the entire service was in Amharic, their sincerity could be heard in any language.  After church, Ileah and I joined Dr. Fekede and his sister (Mama Hareg) for lunch of injera (refer to first post) which was prepared by Tsigay (an excellent cook on the compound). As I entered the dining room, I noticed that there were yellow flowers and fragrant leaves scattered on the floor. Mama Hareg informed us that they do this during the holidays. Since I’ve arrived, there’s been already 3 holidays celebrated. The first was Ethiopian New Years which goes by the Ethiopian calendar. The funny thing about the Ethiopian calendar is that it happens to be 6 years behind the Gregorian calendar! The year in Ethiopia is 2004 and the New Year starts on September 12. So in Ethiopia, I’m only 16! Lol, it doesn’t really work out that way.

Today also happens to be a holiday call Flag Day in celebration of Ethiopia’s independence from Italian rule and celebrate they did! There were students marching on the streets, helicopters flying around with Ethiopian flags hanging from them, flags hung from almost every building, and the street where oh so crowded! I’ve been told that another holiday is coming up soon in celebration of the cross. The legend goes that a piece of the original cross (that Jesus was crucified on) was brought to Ethiopia. The longer I stay in this country, the more interesting it becomes!