Ethiopian culture is multi-faceted, reflecting the ethnic diversity of the country. Among many traditional customs, respect (especially of one's elders) is very important. In Ethiopian culture it is customary to rise up out of one's seat or give up one's bed for an older friend or family member, even if they may be just a year older.
The Legend of EthiopiaThere is one thing on which Jews, Christians and Muslims all agree – the Ten Commandments. The stone tablets on which Moses inscribed the basic rules of civilization are fundamental to all three of the world’s major religions. Nobody knows what happened to the original stone tablets, but some believe that they are kept by priests, in a church in northern Ethiopia. It was with this in mind that we set off traveling to Ethiopia to explore some of the myths and legends.
According to the Bible, the Ten Commandments were given to Moses by God on Mount Sinai, about 3,000 years ago. After presenting them to the ancient Jews in the desert, the sacred tablets were transported in a casket called the Ark of the Covenant and this became the most sacred relic of the ancient Jews, ultimately coming to rest in the Holy of Holies in the Temple at Jerusalem, built by King Solomon.
Numerous Bible mentions are made of the Ark. Incredible, magical powers were granted to it and its content. Then, suddenly during the reign of Solomon, almost all mention of the Ark ceases.
A 13th Century Ethiopian manuscript known as the Kebra Nagast, written in the ancient Ethiopian language of Ge'ez, contains a possible answer to the mystery. According to this source, Solomon had an affair with the mysterious Queen of Sheba and the son from their union, Menelik, took the Ark and transported it back to the land of Sheba which exists, according to some, in modern Ethiopia. Scholars have long disputed the exact location of Sheba which most believe was in southern Yemen across the Red Sea. The Ark's current resting place is said to be Aksum in the extreme North of the country.
The Tabot, or tablets containing the Laws of Moses, housed in the Ark of the Covenant, has a replica in every church and is kept hidden from view in the inner sanctuary or holy of holies. During the festival of Timkat on January 19th, priests in every church brings out their Tabot, covered in shrouds and carry it in solemn procession accompanied by singing, dancing, the beating of staffs, the rattling of sistra and the beating of drums all across the country. It is a scene straight out of the Old Testament.
Emperor Fasilidas' 17th Century baths in Gondar. Then read of Graham Hancock's experience here during the Timkat celebrations of 1990. He describes the frenzied Epiphany celebrations centered around the Tabot, when the entire moat was filled with water and possibly ten thousand people came for two days to celebrate. He explains how he entered and spent the night inside the sanctuary with the monks. And, he recounts how people hurled themselves into the man-made lake after the priests had blessed and consecrated the water the following morning. Hancock then describes how he tried to rush back inside to get a glimpse of the Tabot and how the deacons bodily threw him out.
Life in EthiopiaWork: Men farm, women cook, keep their children clean and looking nice, pound grain into flour and look for cow dung and wood for the family fire. Older girls look after children, older boys look after sheep. Most families have about a hectare of land (less than three acres). All water has to be carried back from the nearby well, something that falls to women or children.
Housing: A small, two-room house. One room to store food, the other room for everything else. There is a fire that is always going. No electricity or running water.
Transport: Walking. The nearest market is one to three hours away on foot.
Dress: You have one change of clothing, maybe even ill-fitting, second-hand clothing at that. If you go to school, you get a second change.
Food: Bread, maybe with egg and vegetables. Meat on special occasions. Everyone eats from the same dish with their fingers.
Family life: Families are big. Ethiopian women have about seven children. As a child you grow up near your cousins, aunts and uncles.
Education: Only a fourth of all children regularly go to school. School is free, but schoolbooks, school supplies and school clothes are not! Early schooling is in your own language, but to go further you need to know Amharic or even English because that is what the books are written in!
Entertainment: Mainly visiting and storytelling. Most people cannot read and have no electricity. Men like to sit, drink coffee and talk
ReligionAccording to the 2007 National Census, Christians make up 62.8% of the country's population (43.5% Ethiopian Orthodox, 19.3% other denominations), Muslims 33.9%, practitioners of traditional faiths 2.6%, and other religions 0.6%This is in agreement with the updated CIA World Factbook, which states that Christianity is the most widely practiced religion in Ethiopia. According to the latest CIA factbook figure Muslims constitute 32.8% of the population.
FestivalsThe Ethiopians love to celebrate, whether important events in their history, major landmarks in the religious calendar or simply special family days. Best clothes are worn, food and drink are plentiful, musicians play and people dance and sing.
National holidays are held to celebrate the victory over the Italians at Adwa in 1896, the Liberation from the Italian occupation in 1941 and the downfall of the Derg in 1991.
But it is the major Ethiopian Orthodox festivals that represent the people at their most colourful and festive.
Meskal
It is a two-day festival at the end of September celebrating the Finding of the True Cross. Bonfires are lit and singing and dancing take place around them, while the priests don their full ceremonial regalia.
Timkat
Timkat usually falls on the January 19, 12 days after Christmas according to the Julian calendar. Festivities take place the day before as well as the day after. This date varies by a day during leap years. The festival is celebrated throughout the Ethiopian highlands in Orthodox Christian strongholds, but nowhere is it quite as spectacular as in Lalibela, an isolated mountain town in the arid north of the country.
It is a colourful three-day festival celebrating Epiphany and it is marked by the procession of the tabots (the replicas of the Ark of the Covenant, the original of which is said to be in the chapel at Axum) around the towns, draped in heavy embroidered materials. People bathe in the lakes and splash water over onlookers.
After the ceremony, the tabots are taken back to the churches in procession, accompanied by singing, drumming, the ringing of bells and blowing of trumpets. Festivities continue throughout the day and into the night. More religious ceremony takes place the following day, dedicated to the Archangel Mikael, after which the priests are fed by their parishioners and young people continue to celebrate into the night.
Other religious festivals are at Fasika (Easter), Inketatash (the New Year in mid-September) and Genna (Christmas in early January). All the Islamic holidays are also celebrated according to the lunar cycle of shifting dates as in other countries
Music of Ethiopia The music of Ethiopia is extremely diverse, with each of Ethiopia's ethnic groups being associated with unique sounds. Some forms of traditional music are strongly influenced by folk music from elsewhere in the Horn of Africa, especially Somalia. However, Ethiopian religious music also has an ancient Christian element, traced to Yared, who lived during the reign of Gabra Masqal. In northeastern Ethiopia, in Wollo, a Muslim musical form called manzuma developed. Sung in Amharic, manzuma has spread to Harar and Jimma, where it is now sung in the Oromo language. In the Ethiopian Highlands, traditional secular music is played by itinerant musicians called azmaris, who are regarded with both suspicion and respect in Ethiopian society.
An azmari (Ethiopian minstrel) playing a masenqo in a tejbeit
An Ethiopian musician playing a krarMusical instrumentsChordophonesIn the highlands, traditional string instruments include the masenqo (also known as masinko), a one-string bowed lute; the krar (also known as kirar), a six-string lyre; and the begena, a large ten-string lyre. The dita (a five-string lyre) and musical bows (including an unusual three-string variant) are among the chordophones found in the south.
AerophonesThe washint is a bamboo flute that is common in the highlands. Trumpet-like instruments include the ceremonial malakat used in some regions, and the holdudwa (animal horn; compare shofar) found mainly in the south. Embilta flutes have no finger holes, and produce only two tones, the fundamental and a fourth or fifth interval. These may be metal (generally found in the north) or bamboo (in the south). The Konso and other people in the south play fanta, or pan flutes.
IdiophonesIn the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, liturgical music employs the senasel, a sistrum. Additionally, the clergy will use prayer staffs, or maqwamiya, to maintain rhythm. Rural churches historically used a dawal, made from stone slabs or pieces of wood, in order to call the faithful to prayer. The Beta Israel use a small gong called a qachel as liturgical accompaniment, though qachel may also refer to a small bell. The toom, a lamellophone, is used among the Nuer, Anuak, Majangir, Surma, and other Nilo-Saharan groups.[3] Metal leg rattles are common throughout the south.
MembranophonesThe kebero is a large hand drum used in the Orthodox Christian liturgy. Smaller kebero drums may be used in secular celebrations. The nagarit, played with a curved stick, is usually found in a secular context such as royal functions or the announcement of proclamations, though it has a liturgical function among the Beta Israel. The Gurage and other southern peoples commonly play the atamo, a small hand drum sometimes made of clay
ClothingWomen's traditional clothes in Ethiopia are made from cloth called shemma and used to make habesha qemis: it is basically cotton cloth, about 90cm wide, woven in long strips which are then sewn together. Sometimes shiny threads are woven into the fabric for an elegant effect (see upper left photo). It takes about two to three weeks to make enough cloth for one dress. The bottom of the garment or shirt may be ornamented with patterns.
Men wear pants and a knee-length shirt with a white collar, and perhaps a sweater. Men often wear knee-high socks, while women might not wear socks at all. Men as well as women wear shawls, the neTela (see lower left photo). The shawls are worn in a different style for different occasions. When going to church, women cover their hair with them and pull the upper ends of the shawl about their shoulders reproducing a cross (meskelya), with the shiny threads appearing at the edge. During funerals, the shawl is worn so the shiny threads appear at the bottom (madegdeg). Women's dresses are called habesha qemis. The dresses are usually white with some color above the lower hem. Bracelets and necklaces from silver and gold are worn on arms and feet to complete the look. A variety of designer dinner dresses combining traditional fabric with modern style are now worn by some ladies in the cities. These traditional clothes are still worn on a day-to-day-basis in the countryside. In cities and towns, western clothes are popular, though on special occasions, such as]] New Year (Enkutatash), Christmas (Genna) or weddings, some wear traditional clothes.
Woman wearing neTela cotton shawl with decorative trim, over western clothing.Often, a woman will cover her head with a shash, a cloth that is tied at the neck. Shama and kuta, gauze-like white fabrics, are often used.[3] This is common among both Muslim and Christian women. Elderly women will wear a sash on a day-to-day basis, while other women only wear a sash while attending church.
Handwoven fabrics
One style of traditional dressSportsEthiopia's most popular sport is track and field, in which they have won many medals in the Olympic Games. Soccer, despite lack of success by the national team, is loved by a significant part of the population.
CuisineEthiopian cuisine consists of various vegetable or meat side dishes and entrees, often prepared as a wat or thick stew. One or more servings of wat are placed upon a piece of injera, a large sourdough flatbread, which is 50 cm (20 inches) in diameter and made out of fermented teff flour. One does not eat with utensils, but instead uses injera (always with the right hand) to scoop up the entrees and side dishes. Traditional Ethiopian food does not use any pork or seafood (aside from fish), as most Ethiopians have historically adhered to Islam, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, or Judaism, all of which prohibit eating pork. Additionally, throughout a given year, Orthodox Christians observe numerous fasts (such as Lent), during which food is prepared without any meat or dairy products. Another food eaten in Ethiopia is Doro Wat which is chicken stew with hard boiled eggs.
This is typical of Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine, consisting of injera and several kinds of wat (stew).Ethiopia's staple grain is called teff, and from its flour the Ethiopians fashion a large pancake-like bread called injera that they place directly on the dining table. Other dishes that make up the meal are portioned onto the injera and diners eat by scooping these portions into rolled-up pieces of the injera that they have torn off.
Ethiopians brew a barley beer called tella and a honey wine called ej. Small fried cookies known as dabo kolo are a favorite snack.
Belows are some example of Ethiopia's foods:
1.Doro Alicha - mild Ethiopian chicken dish
2.Doro Wat - A spicy Ethiopian chicken dish
3.Tibs Wet - A very spicy (and fatty!) meat dish from Ethiopia
4.Injera Bread - A very simple recipe for injera, the pancake-spongy bread that accompanies Ethiopian food.
5.Spiced butter ((Niter Kebbeh))A recipe for clarified, herbed butter, a basic ingredient in Ethiopian cuisine
6.Berbere A red-pepper based spice mixture, used in Ethiopian dishes
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