Africa-Press-Ethiopia
Ethiopian Orthodox Christians, celebrating the Meskel festival, came together in the capital, Addis Ababa, after most of the faithful skipped last year’s festivities due to the pandemic.
It is the first big festival of the Ethiopian religious year and marks the finding of the cross that Jesus was crucified on, according to Orthodox Christian tradition.
The authorities did not enforce Covid-19 restrictions with many among the thousands of celebrants without masks.
The highlight on Sunday, which was the eve of the festival, called Demera, is the lighting of a bonfire in the centre of the Meskel Square – a huge public plaza at the heart of the capital.
