Next: 28 Sept 2027
Meskel
Ethiopian Christians light a tall bonfire decked with yellow daisies for the finding of the True Cross.
What happens
Meskel, in late September, recalls the tradition that Saint Helena found the cross of Christ by following the smoke of a fire. On the eve a tall cone of poles, the demera, is built in the main square of each town, with the largest in Addis Ababa. It is topped with a cross and dressed with bunches of the yellow daisies that cover the highlands at this time, which are named Meskel flowers after the feast. At dusk, after chanting by priests, the demera is set alight.
The flowers
Also part of it, and being written: Bidens (The Meskel daisy, tied to the bonfire and carried in bunches.).
Original text by the Phool desk, written with AI assistance. Background: "Meskel" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from family to family and place to place. If we have something wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Bouquet: James Vick's Sons (Rochester, N.Y.); Henry G. Gilbert Nursery and Seed, No restrictions, source