Malkam Meskal

Last Sunday night was a special celebration in Ethiopia. It was the day of the New Cross. Despite the fact that I still don’t really get why there was a party, Ben and I had loads of fun. We went to Mescal square (the Ethiopian equivalent of Place de la Concorde in Paris, or may be Trafalgar Square in London) on Sunday around 4.30. It was packed with people, may be 100,000, may be more. Loads of policeman to ensure security, a few religious dignitaries, some politics, and a sea of people on the other side. We had to fight our way to the top of the hill to try to see the street (I could not see a thing), but here we were, at the heart of the Ethiopian community, hearing speeches in Amharic (apparently translated into English, but may be not the same English than you and I spoke), hearing people clapping and singing every so often and really wondering what on earth this was all about.
After a good hour and a half of speeches, the music started. Music? I am not sure that is how to best define what we heard, someone singing/screaming with a very high pitch Pepe de la Matronne voice, with no instrumental background. But as I was thinking what on earth am I doing here (lämin, lämin? = why in Amharic), the magic started to happen. As the sun went down, hundreds of people lighted up candles and the square just illuminated itself. People started singing and clapping, and people sat down. The Ethiopian around us tried to move around to make sure we could see the stage (where nothing really exciting happened), but I was fascinated by the sea of lights (see pictures). A very small fire work lit up the sky, and Ethiopian got very excited. Of course, it was not Guy Folk or a 14 of July, but I felt emotional faced with the small, one by one fire work. I realised what it represented for all the people here, the immense joy they felt, the feeling of communion and regeneration: may be this year would be a better year. People around us were so nice, trying to help me take pictures, smiling and excited that foreigners assisted to their national party. I think they were very proud.
The apogee of the party was the lighting up of the bond fire. After 20 minutes of screaming, it was a real show: a huge bond fire illuminated the square with people screaming and dancing. We left with every body else in a complete chaos (as you would expect), and saw on our way home that the party was only starting. Every 20 meters, neighbours were preparing their more modest bond fire, singing and dancing around the fire.
What an evening! I really enjoyed the simplicity yet the strength of the event. I felt really happy and touched by the pride of the Ethiopian people. I wished I could describe the evening better, but it is a one time experience which is hard to depict. I hope it made you curious and that you guys want to come next year to celebrate the new cross with us!