Just Facts - Traditions and Celebrations

There hasn't been much to report lately, as you may have guessed by the lack of recent posts. So, we have decided to once again regale you with some facts that you could probably find for yourself through a simple google search. But seriously, who would want to do that when we are telling you everything right here? After the first installment of "Interesting Facts", no one is under the illusion that the facts are THAT interesting. The segment has thus been downgraded to "Just Facts", and today we will be focusing on a few Ethiopian traditions and celebrations.

Ethiopians love to celebrate, whether important events in their history, major landmarks in the religious calendar, or simply special family days. Best clothes are worn, food and drink are plentiful, musicians play, and people dance and sing. There are a number of major celebrations, several of which are state holidays as well. Some of these include: Genna [Ethiopian Christmas: birth of Christ] on January 7; Timkat [Ethiopian Epiphany: baptism of Christ] on January 19; Adwa Day [commemorates the victory over Italy in 1896] on March 2; Siklet [Good Friday] and Fasika [Easter] in April; International Labor Day on May 1; Patriots' Victory Day [celebrates the end of Italian occupation in 1941] on May 5; Derg Downfall Day (or National Day) [celebrates the downfall of the Derg, a communist military dictatorship, in 1991] on May 28; Buhe [the transfiguration of Christ] on August 21; Enkutatash [Ethiopian New Year] on September 11; and Meskel [finding of the true cross of Christ] on September 27.

With the numerous holidays observed by Ethiopians, one might think that birthdays would also be a time of great celebration. That does not seem to be the case. Birthdays tend to be relatively small events, if they are celebrated at all. In many of the rural areas, where families are less likely to adhere closely to dates and times, a birth might be remembered simply based on the season or time of year without an exact date. However, with the growing influence of western culture, particularly in urban areas, people are becoming more likely to celebrate in a western style with cakes, candles, and gifts.

And finally, here is an interesting Ethiopian tradition. When a child loses a tooth, they will throw it onto the roof and recite a poem about a bird coming to take it away. If a bird picks it up, it means a new, strong tooth will take its place. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to find much more information about the tradition or the poem, but we did run across this book - Throw Your Tooth on the Roof: Tooth Traditions from Around the World. I don't think it mentions Ethiopia specifically, but apparently several other countries have the same tradition. So, if one day you happen to see us throwing a tooth onto the roof, please understand that we are following a tradition, not just being weird.

Fun New Things to Learn

Here is a super cute blog that we found called Happy Girl Hair.

In other fun news, all of our paperwork is now somewhere in Africa!  Good job, Assistant Stork!