Meskel (Wicker Man?) Festival
Alex September 27th, 2008
Found out today what the Meskel festival is all about… to celebrate the finding of the true cross and we went along too. Just outside Mekelle they’d built a large bonfire, with a cross on top. When the fire is lit, the direction in which the cross falls predicts the outlook for the next year, north = war, east = peace, south = famine, west = (?) – apparently the cross is usually slightly tilted to the east!
About an hour before sunset, we (and most of the rest of the Mekelle population), walked up the hill with bundles of sticks to use as torches on the procession down the hill after sunset and the bonfire had been lit. Once at the top, people were getting themselves into a bit of a frenzy, groups running round in circles and chanting – tribal rather than Orthodox Christian.
Despite the chaos we managed to get quite near to the fire (before it was lit), though this was more to do with the police allowing us (as ferengi/foreigners) to – the police were using sticks to keep people back. Made us all feel quite uncomfortable that we were being treated very differently from the locals – but think that’s just something else I’ll have to try and get used to.
After lots more chanting, pushing, shoving, dancing and the sunset, a few fireworks went off and the fire was lit. Everything became even more chaotic as 1000’s were lighting their torches from the fire. Then the procession down the hill began, a procession makes it sound organised and sedate – it was anything but! Several 1000 people running down a hill, chanting & carrying burning torches – UK health and safety would have a field day! At times it was quite intimidating, being pointed to and shouted at for being a foreigner, plus there we few pickpockets around, a few of us caught people trying to get their hands into your pocket. Apart from that it was a great experience.
Back down in town, after a couple of beers, we headed to a restaurant with some people from Red Cross, though as it was Friday (a fasting day, so no meat) and being a little late (after 9pm is late here), there were only a couple of options left on the menu. This seems quite common, you’re lucky if restaurants have half of what’s actually on the menu!
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