Ethiopian New Years Research Paper
Every person has a cultural identity. Culture is a form of identity that reflects upon a person’s behavior. It can be the way they wear their clothes, it could be the way they celebrate a ceremony, it could be the way they talk, and so on. Coming from a country with multiple cultures, it’s hard to focus on only one aspect; however, Ethiopian New Years is something that unifies all the cultures and creates a sense of unity and pride. Ethiopia is a country located in the Horn of Africa, and is the only country in Africa that assured its independence during the colonial era. Ethiopia was also considered a symbol for other African nations. The Axumite empire was one of the major players on the commercial route between the Roman Empire and
Ancient India. The empire’s vast power enabled the country to enforce its culture in the region. The empire dominated by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo church spread its principal calendar used in Ethiopia that also served as a liturgical year for Christians. This means a lot to the people because it shows how great the Ethiopian empire once was. Within the empire existed multiple nations and nationalities with their own distinct culture. Although the different nations and nationalities have their own distinct culture, they come together to celebrate the Ethiopian New Years. What makes this unique is that, within a year there are 13 months rather than 12 months. With longer year means Ethiopian calendar is not in the same year as the Gregorian calendar. Ethiopian New Years is on September 11 and is still in the year 2010. Despite their differences, the people from across the country come together in the capital city to show their pride. During the ceremony, every region provides their own traditional dishes like injera, kitfo, tibes, doro wot, ayib, and so on, where people can feast whichever dish they want to. After feasting, they usually drink a homemade honey wine called Tej. Tej is flavored with powdered leaves and gesho. After feasting and drinking, they would give each other complements and proceed to the next part of the ceremony. Reflecting upon their rituals, the different regions wear their traditional clothes during the ceremony. Every region would wear their own special costume to represent the country and their ancestors. During the costume ritual, people would go around and ask each other what a particular item, what the painting represents, or the meaning of a particular style. I particularly admire the costume of the Tigray people. The Tigray women would wear hager libes (traditional clothing) then a gold jewelry on their ears and around their heads and necks. The varied sizes of the gold jewelry represent the different age group, respect, and fashion according to their region. Another special event that follows the costume ceremony is the dancing ceremony. While there is dancing throughout the entire day, the dancing ceremony is where all the regions come together and show off their traditional dance. Ethiopian dances usually feature the movement of the shoulder and leg. One of these dances is known as Eskista. Eskista comes from the Amhara region and involves the shaking of the shoulder while holding your waist with your two hands. Another dance that involves the leg and the arm is Guragenga. Guragenga comes from the Gurage region and this involves the movement of your arms going back-and-forth while moving your legs like you are cycling. Although these dances are distinct to a region, everyone participating in the ceremony learns new rituals. It’s remarkable coming from a place with diverse cultural identity, but yet in the same country. From cultural dances and rituals to the clothing that we wear, these have a major impact on our culture and how we express our distinct culture. While there are many different regions, the fact that there are so many diverse cultures in one makes the African culture more unique and distinct from the others. All these add up to the identity of the Ethiopian culture. The Ethiopian New Years is a special occasion for many to interact and learn their different identities.
Ancient India. The empire’s vast power enabled the country to enforce its culture in the region. The empire dominated by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo church spread its principal calendar used in Ethiopia that also served as a liturgical year for Christians. This means a lot to the people because it shows how great the Ethiopian empire once was. Within the empire existed multiple nations and nationalities with their own distinct culture. Although the different nations and nationalities have their own distinct culture, they come together to celebrate the Ethiopian New Years. What makes this unique is that, within a year there are 13 months rather than 12 months. With longer year means Ethiopian calendar is not in the same year as the Gregorian calendar. Ethiopian New Years is on September 11 and is still in the year 2010. Despite their differences, the people from across the country come together in the capital city to show their pride. During the ceremony, every region provides their own traditional dishes like injera, kitfo, tibes, doro wot, ayib, and so on, where people can feast whichever dish they want to. After feasting, they usually drink a homemade honey wine called Tej. Tej is flavored with powdered leaves and gesho. After feasting and drinking, they would give each other complements and proceed to the next part of the ceremony. Reflecting upon their rituals, the different regions wear their traditional clothes during the ceremony. Every region would wear their own special costume to represent the country and their ancestors. During the costume ritual, people would go around and ask each other what a particular item, what the painting represents, or the meaning of a particular style. I particularly admire the costume of the Tigray people. The Tigray women would wear hager libes (traditional clothing) then a gold jewelry on their ears and around their heads and necks. The varied sizes of the gold jewelry represent the different age group, respect, and fashion according to their region. Another special event that follows the costume ceremony is the dancing ceremony. While there is dancing throughout the entire day, the dancing ceremony is where all the regions come together and show off their traditional dance. Ethiopian dances usually feature the movement of the shoulder and leg. One of these dances is known as Eskista. Eskista comes from the Amhara region and involves the shaking of the shoulder while holding your waist with your two hands. Another dance that involves the leg and the arm is Guragenga. Guragenga comes from the Gurage region and this involves the movement of your arms going back-and-forth while moving your legs like you are cycling. Although these dances are distinct to a region, everyone participating in the ceremony learns new rituals. It’s remarkable coming from a place with diverse cultural identity, but yet in the same country. From cultural dances and rituals to the clothing that we wear, these have a major impact on our culture and how we express our distinct culture. While there are many different regions, the fact that there are so many diverse cultures in one makes the African culture more unique and distinct from the others. All these add up to the identity of the Ethiopian culture. The Ethiopian New Years is a special occasion for many to interact and learn their different identities.