SATURDAY, 20 OCTOBER
2012 06:47
BY TIBEBESELASSIE TIGABU
By Tibebeselassie Tigabu
On top of Mount Zeqwala every one is running all over the place to get a spot, pushing around to get into the church, laughing, lighting candles and praying. Meanwhile, after reaching the top of the mountain, an old woman in her 60s, kissed the ground. After kissing the ground, she sat down solemnly. Trying to catch her breath, she looked down on the mountainous route she had followed.
On top of Mount Zeqwala every one is running all over the place to get a spot, pushing around to get into the church, laughing, lighting candles and praying. Meanwhile, after reaching the top of the mountain, an old woman in her 60s, kissed the ground. After kissing the ground, she sat down solemnly. Trying to catch her breath, she looked down on the mountainous route she had followed.
The scorching sunlight of
the semi-desert mountainous terrain is a struggle for a couple of hours. One
might feel like being roasted on a frying pan.
And the reason for the gathering is that every year Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahdo followers celebrate Saint Abune Gebre Menfes Kidus’s Day on Tikimit 5 (October 15) on the mountain.
On the eve, multitudes gather to go to the mountain. Planning for the pilgrimage is usually starts before the holiday.
Many people from Addis Ababa go to Kaliti to catch a bus that goes to Zeqwala. There are also those who who drive to the mountain. After reaching Debre Zeit there is another 30-km gravel road that takes to the foot of the mountain.
Before starting the trekking people that come from different corners of the country meet up in a small town which takes to the mountain. At that place there are restaurants that are made of mud houses that sell tibs, tej, areke, and soda.
The restaurants have their own distinctive features, especially the seating that is made of mud and cow dung called medeb.
Some of the customers who do not want to sit on the medeb are lying on the grass, having tej, getting ready for the road.
This is a market created by these holidays: the culture of consumerism. Starting from a stick (mekwamia), to water and candle twaf) are sold on the streets.
People from different groups start the journey around lunchtime. Most of the women are wearing their netela. Despite that gravel tiring road, people are trekking on the mountain laughing and chanting.
Eavesdropping on some of the conversations a couple of guys were talking about last year’s pilgrimage while others talked about how their prayer was answered. The football match between Ethiopia and Sudan was also part of the conversation.
Trekking to the mountain is not an easy job; walking for long hours exhausts one’s energy
On the route there are spots where tela (home-brewed beer) and bread are sold. The pilgrims stop for a couple of minutes and continue their journey. The trees, which cover the trekking route, also serve as shades.
The journey might take from 2 up to 4 hours depending on speed. Finally, people reach the top where the church of Saint Abune Gebre Menfes Kidus is located.
As church documents testify, the saint was born in Egypt and came to Ethiopia by traveling ‘on clouds’. He then reached Mountain Zeqwala during the reign of King Lalibela.
As the followers believe the saint lived in the Crater Lake upside down, and prayed for 100 years. The saint lived in that place up to the 15th century. The church also dates to that time.
The area of the mountain is a product of intense volcanic activity during the quaternary period.
After reaching the top of the mountain some people rush to the plastic house that sells tibs and tella. On top of the mountain one kilo of meat is sold for 140 birr.
Some people go to the church and the ceremony. In the middle of the prayers some are listening to the match that was transmitted on one of the FM radios. When Ethiopia scored the goal the cheering interrupted the praying moment. When the news of the final result was heard, many people started shouting and started expressing their excitement by hugging people around them and also kissing the ground to praise God and the saint.
On top of the mountain it is very cold. So the villagers drink areke. The cold is worse for the pilgrims who have covered themselves in anything that they can find.
Some people had brought a picnic tent and sleeping bag but many of them were sleeping on the mattress under the starlit sky. One can see the shooting stars clearly in the sky which looks like a meteoric shower.
In the morning, which is the actual celebration day, many people go to the lake area, which is covered with forests, to get baptized and to get a healing from the holy water.
From the different groups, who were doing the rituals, there is a bigger group that is comprised of around twenty people who are chanting, which has managed to attract passersby. The rituals continue in circles. Inside the circle there is a drummer whose head is covered with a turban and a woman whose face is covered with white a scarf. She is called bale raey (The visionary). There are also women inside the circle who are making coffee and boil sweet corn.
One of the men, whom they call bale awulia, is jumping and singing while the others follow.
Most of the lyrics are in Oromiffa but they also mix some Amharic verses. In the middle of a song the bale raey murmurs and the bale awulia continues as if he was under a spell. He shakes his head when his eyes are closed and opens them again.
Most of the women are clapping and dancing for a while. Next to this ceremony another group come with most of the group being women. They have beads on their hair and some of them are wearing black scarf on their hair and some of the women have dreadlocks.
Wearing the Oromo traditional outfit, one of the women, who is leading the group, starts touching her belly. The others followed her step and start putting butter and some mixture from the little pots they were carrying and start oiling the tree.
The other group of mostly men start beating their drums while sitting on the grass. This traditional practice creats some kind of commotion on the area while some are observing the ceremony indifferently the others start cursing and saying this is an evil thing.
One of the women who is doing the ritual heard and she started interacting. She said that earlier, one of the men who tried to throw a stone at them fell and it is because of Damtew. “Who is Damtew?”
It was a question that was thrown from the side of the observers. She looked faintly and answered, “bale awuliyaw” she went on and on why they are here to celebrate the Saint.
According to legend, when the saint came for the first time, he was greeted by one of the villagers who also offered to bring him food. The man went and brought a lot of food but the saint was not there so the man put the food there and every year the same ritual is being done for many years. These people, who actually travel from different areas, carry their own firewood, food, and see the land as a sacred land. They do not cut anything and they always start their rituals after washing the purification ceremony.
In a research paper entitled “Water, Culture and Identity: Comparing Past and Present Traditions in the Nile Basin Region,” which was published in 2008 in Beregen University in Norway puts Zeqwala as one of the prominent pilgrimage sites.
In this research paper there is a section that deals with the water pilgrimage entitled ‘Holy waters: Pre-Christian and Christian water association in Ethiopia’. The article, which’s written by Niall Finneran and quoted by Alula Pankhurst (Ph.D.), describes the case of Zequala.
According to him, there are many levels of meaning to be found here; “apart from the obvious Christian associations, the waters are known to adherent of Islam and of traditional animist religions as having power to fertility.”
According to the research, the place that existed for generations is a special place not only for the Christians but also for the Muslims and for those animists. In terms of the physical notion of pilgrimage, the act is divided between the journeys itself and the destination.
“The ascent of the mountain to the lake, often without shoes, is an act of penance, in the wood around the site are a number of sacred stones, where elemental spirits called Zar are appeased and tree spirits are placated with offerings” the research states
Apart from taking waters and worshiping of the saint even for some Christians practicing the zar and tree spirits is also the important “fachasa ritual.”
“A fertility rite based on the gathering of the marsh grass qetema, washing it in the water of the lake, then brushing the foliage over women to aid conception,” according to the research.
This research tries to emphasize how water has deep ontological values starting from the ancient times and still is part of the society and religion.
Water is seen as a medium where humans can reach up to their gods which is seen as a divine gift and some water sources are attributed to have divine or spiritual qualities.
It is not only water but life in the forest that is characterized by “abundance, plentitude and joy, but also by loss, scarcity and death. A kind of fellowship is to be maintained between its residents which include the human and the forest spirits.”
How do you maintain or connect with the forest spirit? Starting from ancient times the different rituals, include rainmaking rituals, fertility rituals, trying to connect with God and the different types of prayers served the purpose. These rituals started fading out or confined to certain places in original forms.
“Importantly, water beliefs and rituals often overlap and transcend dogmatic beliefs and rites in “Great traditions” or world religions. Ancient practices or relics of traditional rituals and cosmologies have to a large extent been interwoven into Christianity and Islam by the believers,” the research argues.
Ethiopia being a country where ancient “traditional religions” exist, some of the rituals and the beliefs seem strange to the urban dwellers or to the society which associate themselves with Christianity or Islam.
Harold Aspen, in his book entitled “Amhara Traditions of Knowledge spirit mediums and their clients”, talks about the common adbar beliefs and practices among the Amhara people. Adbar is the female protective spirit that protects a certain neighborhood or a specific home.
They do many rituals including making coffee and umbrella. In addition, there are items that are hung in the branches of the tree to please the Adbar.
Usually the Adbars are associated with good spirits. With regard to spirit possession Aspen identifies the popular ones in Ethiopia weqabi, Zar, debteras and budas.
According to Aspen, there are three main categories of spirit possession bale wuqabi, bale zar and wofa with different spirits. Many of them claim they have many wuqabis, who actually serve the society and consult people in solving their problems.
In this place the Christian authorities do not encourage this ritual, and the Muslims have banned it outright, but many people still come to the site seeking blessings.
And the reason for the gathering is that every year Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahdo followers celebrate Saint Abune Gebre Menfes Kidus’s Day on Tikimit 5 (October 15) on the mountain.
On the eve, multitudes gather to go to the mountain. Planning for the pilgrimage is usually starts before the holiday.
Many people from Addis Ababa go to Kaliti to catch a bus that goes to Zeqwala. There are also those who who drive to the mountain. After reaching Debre Zeit there is another 30-km gravel road that takes to the foot of the mountain.
Before starting the trekking people that come from different corners of the country meet up in a small town which takes to the mountain. At that place there are restaurants that are made of mud houses that sell tibs, tej, areke, and soda.
The restaurants have their own distinctive features, especially the seating that is made of mud and cow dung called medeb.
Some of the customers who do not want to sit on the medeb are lying on the grass, having tej, getting ready for the road.
This is a market created by these holidays: the culture of consumerism. Starting from a stick (mekwamia), to water and candle twaf) are sold on the streets.
People from different groups start the journey around lunchtime. Most of the women are wearing their netela. Despite that gravel tiring road, people are trekking on the mountain laughing and chanting.
Eavesdropping on some of the conversations a couple of guys were talking about last year’s pilgrimage while others talked about how their prayer was answered. The football match between Ethiopia and Sudan was also part of the conversation.
Trekking to the mountain is not an easy job; walking for long hours exhausts one’s energy
On the route there are spots where tela (home-brewed beer) and bread are sold. The pilgrims stop for a couple of minutes and continue their journey. The trees, which cover the trekking route, also serve as shades.
The journey might take from 2 up to 4 hours depending on speed. Finally, people reach the top where the church of Saint Abune Gebre Menfes Kidus is located.
As church documents testify, the saint was born in Egypt and came to Ethiopia by traveling ‘on clouds’. He then reached Mountain Zeqwala during the reign of King Lalibela.
As the followers believe the saint lived in the Crater Lake upside down, and prayed for 100 years. The saint lived in that place up to the 15th century. The church also dates to that time.
The area of the mountain is a product of intense volcanic activity during the quaternary period.
After reaching the top of the mountain some people rush to the plastic house that sells tibs and tella. On top of the mountain one kilo of meat is sold for 140 birr.
Some people go to the church and the ceremony. In the middle of the prayers some are listening to the match that was transmitted on one of the FM radios. When Ethiopia scored the goal the cheering interrupted the praying moment. When the news of the final result was heard, many people started shouting and started expressing their excitement by hugging people around them and also kissing the ground to praise God and the saint.
On top of the mountain it is very cold. So the villagers drink areke. The cold is worse for the pilgrims who have covered themselves in anything that they can find.
Some people had brought a picnic tent and sleeping bag but many of them were sleeping on the mattress under the starlit sky. One can see the shooting stars clearly in the sky which looks like a meteoric shower.
In the morning, which is the actual celebration day, many people go to the lake area, which is covered with forests, to get baptized and to get a healing from the holy water.
From the different groups, who were doing the rituals, there is a bigger group that is comprised of around twenty people who are chanting, which has managed to attract passersby. The rituals continue in circles. Inside the circle there is a drummer whose head is covered with a turban and a woman whose face is covered with white a scarf. She is called bale raey (The visionary). There are also women inside the circle who are making coffee and boil sweet corn.
One of the men, whom they call bale awulia, is jumping and singing while the others follow.
Most of the lyrics are in Oromiffa but they also mix some Amharic verses. In the middle of a song the bale raey murmurs and the bale awulia continues as if he was under a spell. He shakes his head when his eyes are closed and opens them again.
Most of the women are clapping and dancing for a while. Next to this ceremony another group come with most of the group being women. They have beads on their hair and some of them are wearing black scarf on their hair and some of the women have dreadlocks.
Wearing the Oromo traditional outfit, one of the women, who is leading the group, starts touching her belly. The others followed her step and start putting butter and some mixture from the little pots they were carrying and start oiling the tree.
The other group of mostly men start beating their drums while sitting on the grass. This traditional practice creats some kind of commotion on the area while some are observing the ceremony indifferently the others start cursing and saying this is an evil thing.
One of the women who is doing the ritual heard and she started interacting. She said that earlier, one of the men who tried to throw a stone at them fell and it is because of Damtew. “Who is Damtew?”
It was a question that was thrown from the side of the observers. She looked faintly and answered, “bale awuliyaw” she went on and on why they are here to celebrate the Saint.
According to legend, when the saint came for the first time, he was greeted by one of the villagers who also offered to bring him food. The man went and brought a lot of food but the saint was not there so the man put the food there and every year the same ritual is being done for many years. These people, who actually travel from different areas, carry their own firewood, food, and see the land as a sacred land. They do not cut anything and they always start their rituals after washing the purification ceremony.
In a research paper entitled “Water, Culture and Identity: Comparing Past and Present Traditions in the Nile Basin Region,” which was published in 2008 in Beregen University in Norway puts Zeqwala as one of the prominent pilgrimage sites.
In this research paper there is a section that deals with the water pilgrimage entitled ‘Holy waters: Pre-Christian and Christian water association in Ethiopia’. The article, which’s written by Niall Finneran and quoted by Alula Pankhurst (Ph.D.), describes the case of Zequala.
According to him, there are many levels of meaning to be found here; “apart from the obvious Christian associations, the waters are known to adherent of Islam and of traditional animist religions as having power to fertility.”
According to the research, the place that existed for generations is a special place not only for the Christians but also for the Muslims and for those animists. In terms of the physical notion of pilgrimage, the act is divided between the journeys itself and the destination.
“The ascent of the mountain to the lake, often without shoes, is an act of penance, in the wood around the site are a number of sacred stones, where elemental spirits called Zar are appeased and tree spirits are placated with offerings” the research states
Apart from taking waters and worshiping of the saint even for some Christians practicing the zar and tree spirits is also the important “fachasa ritual.”
“A fertility rite based on the gathering of the marsh grass qetema, washing it in the water of the lake, then brushing the foliage over women to aid conception,” according to the research.
This research tries to emphasize how water has deep ontological values starting from the ancient times and still is part of the society and religion.
Water is seen as a medium where humans can reach up to their gods which is seen as a divine gift and some water sources are attributed to have divine or spiritual qualities.
It is not only water but life in the forest that is characterized by “abundance, plentitude and joy, but also by loss, scarcity and death. A kind of fellowship is to be maintained between its residents which include the human and the forest spirits.”
How do you maintain or connect with the forest spirit? Starting from ancient times the different rituals, include rainmaking rituals, fertility rituals, trying to connect with God and the different types of prayers served the purpose. These rituals started fading out or confined to certain places in original forms.
“Importantly, water beliefs and rituals often overlap and transcend dogmatic beliefs and rites in “Great traditions” or world religions. Ancient practices or relics of traditional rituals and cosmologies have to a large extent been interwoven into Christianity and Islam by the believers,” the research argues.
Ethiopia being a country where ancient “traditional religions” exist, some of the rituals and the beliefs seem strange to the urban dwellers or to the society which associate themselves with Christianity or Islam.
Harold Aspen, in his book entitled “Amhara Traditions of Knowledge spirit mediums and their clients”, talks about the common adbar beliefs and practices among the Amhara people. Adbar is the female protective spirit that protects a certain neighborhood or a specific home.
They do many rituals including making coffee and umbrella. In addition, there are items that are hung in the branches of the tree to please the Adbar.
Usually the Adbars are associated with good spirits. With regard to spirit possession Aspen identifies the popular ones in Ethiopia weqabi, Zar, debteras and budas.
According to Aspen, there are three main categories of spirit possession bale wuqabi, bale zar and wofa with different spirits. Many of them claim they have many wuqabis, who actually serve the society and consult people in solving their problems.
In this place the Christian authorities do not encourage this ritual, and the Muslims have banned it outright, but many people still come to the site seeking blessings.
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