Embassies and Diplomats Send Best Wishes to Ethiopians Celebrating on Meskel Holiday

Addis Ababa, September 26, 2025 (FMC) – Embassies and diplomats based in Addis Ababa have extended their warmest greetings to Ethiopian Christians celebrating Meskel, one of the country’s most significant Christian holidays.

The festival commemorates the discovery of the True Cross by Queen Helena in the 4th century and is marked by the traditional Demera bonfire, symbolizing the revelation of the Cross. The Demera is being celebrated this afternoon across the country, while the main Meskel holiday will be observed tomorrow morning, with some communities continuing festivities later into the night and dawn of September 27.

Marking the occasion, several embassies based in Addis Ababa extended their greetings on the occasion, including Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, China, the United States, Armenia, the European Union Delegation, Israel, Iran, Pakistan, Denmark, Sweden, and Ireland. Their messages expressed wishes of peace, unity, and joy to all Ethiopians marking the holiday.

The Embassy of Sri Lanka extended heartfelt felicitations to the Government and people of Ethiopia, expressing hopes that the celebration would bring peace, unity, and enduring hope.

Meanwhile, Australia’s Ambassador to Ethiopia, Dr. Peter Hunter, shared a personal reflection, noting that this year marked his first experience of both Ethiopia’s New Year and Meskel. He described the vibrant flowers, traditional attire, and joyful gatherings he witnessed during the New Year, adding that Meskel represents a new moment of hope. He said he looks forward to experiencing the Demera bonfire, which he called a beautiful tradition of faith and togetherness, and extended his best wishes to Ethiopians at home and abroad, including in Australia.

The UK Ambassador to Ethiopia, Darren Welch, celebrated Meskel together with colleagues at the British Embassy compound, where a Demera bonfire was lit in the presence of the embassy community. His message, accompanied by images of the celebration, highlighted the symbolic meaning of the bonfire in marking the end of the rainy season. He wished all Ethiopians a joyful Meskel.

The Embassy of Denmark also shared a detailed message, extending warm greetings in both English and Amharic. It described Meskel as a holiday deeply rooted in Ethiopia’s Orthodox Christian tradition, commemorating the discovery of the True Cross in the fourth century. The embassy noted that Meskel Square in Addis Ababa is named after this celebration, where large groups of worshippers, priests, drums, ornate crosses, and flowers gather each year around the central Demera bonfire.

The Embassy of Israel extended warm greetings to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church community in Ethiopia and around the world, wishing a joyful and blessed Meskel.

The holiday is celebrated with vibrant rituals, including gatherings at Meskel Square in Addis Ababa, where priests and congregants dance and carry ornate crosses. The Demera bonfire is adorned with flowers, and its smoke is said to recall the signal that revealed the location of the True Cross. Meskel, inscribed by UNESCO in 2013 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, is celebrated by millions in Ethiopia and abroad, emphasizing faith, unity, and communal identity, while preserving Ethiopia’s rich cultural traditions and promoting social cohesion.