Finding the True Cross

We returned from our trip to the Gmz area during one of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church’s biggest celebrations – Meskel. “Meskel” literally means “cross,” in which they celebrate the orthodox traditional story of how Constantine’s mother (Helen) journeyed to Jerusalem in order to find the actual location of Jesus’ cross. According to their belief, Helen was told by God in a dream to build a huge bonfire in Jerusalem and that the smoke of that fire would reveal the spot of the buried cross. So, she travelled to Jerusalem, built the fire, the smoke went really high in the air and then fell down again on the place where the cross was then found.

In order to celebrate this event/story, whole neighborhoods will gather together in a small field near their houses. Using long bundles of sticks, they make a tall thin Teepee and decorate it with Meskel flowers (a yellow flower that blooms during this time of year – and also the cause of seasonal allergy issues). The community then waits until it is completely dark before lighting the fire, which is then fed with more and more bundles of sticks. The elders of the neighborhood then say some nice words regarding the year to come and sometimes people will use the fire to cook corn (man, if only they had Marshmallows in this country!)

We were at the orphanage transition home during the evening of the Meskel celebration so we had a great view of the small field outside their compound. As we were admiring the 10 foot high fire that blazed below us, all of a sudden a second fire a few blocks away shot up into the sky. Unlike in Helen’s traditional fire in Jerusalem, the smoke for these various fires around Addis Ababa were not agreeing upon where to settle (in order to dig to find the “true cross:”). So as we drove home that night, smoke and ash filled the whole city looking like a thick fog. The smell of campfire is a favorite smell of mine, though it’s not enjoyed quite as much without a s’more or two (with peanut butter of course)!