Religion has always been an essential part of human existence. Numerous religions have emerged as a result of man’s continuous search for meaning and purpose, each with its own unique festival celebrations. Christians all around the world hold the Easter and Christmas holidays in high regard as moments that shaped the course of human history. These Ethiopian festivals, which are unique to the Christian faith for Ethiopian Christians, are closely followed by the Meskel festival. This enduring festival originated from Addis Abeba, an ancient city in Ethiopia, and honors the discovery of the True Cross of Jesus.
Christians and tourists gather in the city on September 27 (or September 28 in a leap year) to commemorate the Meskel festival. Ethiopian Orthodox churches celebrate the Meskel festival every year as a national Christian holiday. This event honors the discovery of the genuine cross that Jesus was crucified on. Since the Ge’ez term “meskel,” which is translated as “cross,” the holiday is essentially a celebration of the cross. Numerous famous people, religious leaders, and Christians attend the festival, which is held in Addis Abeba’s renowned Meskel Square. In the fourth (4th) century, the mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine, Queen Helena, was supernaturally guided to its site, resulting in the discovery of this revered item within Christianity. The now-canonized Queen Helena allegedly once had a dream. In the dream, she was told to start a fire, and the smoke would direct her to the location of the True Cross of Jesus.
