Meskel
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| Meskel Festival Addis Abeba, Ethiopia. |
Meskel
The most important thing we should consider when celebrating the finding of the true cross, Meskel, is that it is founded on the hate of the Jews, and the love of Christians for the cross. For instance, the Jews tried to hide the cross that Jesus Christ was crucified on by burying it in a garbage dump. We will look at how it was found through Empress Helena, Eleni, and how the piece on which his right hand was nailed, came to Ethiopia. The healing of the sick through the holy cross on which our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified to save mankind made it possible for many to become Christians at the time. Because of its miraculousness and high respect among Christians, the Jews were overcome with jealousy and buried the holy cross in a garbage dump.
The story begins in a mountainous area, as the locals threw trash every day on the said mountain, burying the cross of Jesus. Eventually, the rubble was so piled up, that they were unable to retrieve the cross, even though the Christians in Jerusalem knew its location. As time went on, Jerusalem was destroyed by the siege of emperor Titus in 70 CE as the Christians there fled. The cross was buried for more than 300 years, as generations slowly started to forget its location.
In 326 AD. Queen Eleni, the mother of King Constantine, made a trip to Jerusalem to look for the Holy Cross. As soon as she got there, she started excavating in different areas, but she could not find it, and her unknowledgeable companions didn’t help either. Determined by God’s will to locate the cross, she sought out an old Jewish historian/elder and asked him to locate the area where the holy cross was buried and thrown. The old man said to her, "Don't toil in vain and don't tire anyone. Gather wood, pour incense on it, and put it on fire. When the smoke from the incense rises up and comes back down, look at the direction and you will find the location by this sign." And she did everything she had to do. She cut wood and put incense on it and lit it on fire. As the smoke of the incense went up and down, it pointed to the place of the cross. This Jewish old historian/elder, otherwise known as Kyriakos, later believed in Christ and was baptized.
Accordingly, after excavating day and night for seven months from September 27th(Meskerem 17th) to March 19th(Megabit 10th), three crosses were found. To distinguish the Lord's cross, it was identified to be the cross after raising a dead body. Queen Eleni was delighted to witness this miracle, with all the people expressing their gratitude and joy by touching the cross and singing with happiness, saying "Kyrialaiso". When it became dark, the archbishop of Jerusalem, His Holiness Abune Makarios, Queen Eleni, the army, and the people took it to a prayer house singing with lighted torches on their hands. It was then transported to a church built in honor of the cross. The foundation stone was laid by Emperor Constantine and was inaugurated (the Mass) on Meskerem 17, 327 AD. Meskel is celebrated on both Meskerem 17th and Megabit 10. But Mekserem 17th is the official day of the Meskel Festival because Megabit 10th is during Lent and also the inauguration of the church took place on Meskrem 17th. On this day we commemorate the finding of the True Cross, which had been lost for more than 300 years, through Queen Eleni. Based on this, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church celebrates the festival with a great spiritual ceremony.
Demera (Bonfire)
Demera is a word derived from the Geez language, meaning; added, increased, and united. The Demera ceremony takes place on the eve of Meskel. Meskel is the cross/symbol of our sanctification, peace, and salvation. It is the throne where Jesus Christ sacrificed his holy body and shed his precious blood to save mankind and give us eternal life, and the mirror through which we look at our God. This is why we celebrate the Cross in our country, Ethiopia, by gathering together and lighting torches, holding holy mass, and standing in the Mahelet. Additionally, after witnessing the miracles of the cross, the great kings of the time divided the cross into four parts. Out of the four, only the piece on which his right hand rested is found in Deber Kerbe Geshen Maryam, but the whereabouts of the other three is unknown.
How did the cross get to Ethiopia?
The journey of the cross ironically starts in the realm of hate, when in 1394 AD, the Pharaoh of Egypt at the time imprisoned the Archbishop of the Church of Alexandria, blessed as Abune Michael 47th. On top of this, he taxed the Christian citizens beyond their means, saying, "If you do not follow my religion, you cannot live in Egypt." The Christians of Egypt, who were suffering, sent a message to Emperor David saying, "We beseech you in the name of God to set free our bishop and from the suffering that has befallen us."
However, King-Emperor David said to them, "I don't want silver and gold, I want the cross on which my Lord Jesus Christ was crucified." On Meskerem 10, 1395, they agreed it would be better for them to send the requested cross instead of losing water. Along with the cross, they added an icon of Our Lady St. Mary that St. Luke had painted. Every year on the 10th of Meskerem, it is celebrated as the Emperor's Cross, Teketsel Tsige, because of this reason. Also, remembering the story of the great Queen Eleni, he celebrated the Cross Festival on Meskerem 17th. Afterward, he saw a vision that said, "The cross shall be placed on a crossed area". The Emperor searched for a place that is alike his vision and on Meskerem 21, 1446 AD placed it on the present-day Gishen Debre Kerbe Mariam.
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