Meskel Festival at Meskel Square

Meskel commemorates the finding of the True Cross by Empress Helena, and it is celebrated across Ethiopia on 27 September, with the largest gathering in the square in Addis Ababa that takes its name from the feast. A conical pyre of branches and yellow Meskel daisies, called a demera, is built in the centre; clergy in embroidered robes and coloured umbrellas process around it, choirs and drums perform, and at dusk the pyre is lit and burns through the evening while the crowd watches and sings. The direction the burnt tip falls is read as an omen for the year. Ash from the fire is marked on foreheads. UNESCO inscribed the festival on the intangible heritage list in 2013.

What you actually see

• The demera pyre - the great conical bonfire in the centre of the square.
• Clergy processions - robes, crosses and coloured ceremonial umbrellas.
• Choirs and drums - liturgical singing through the afternoon.
• The lighting - the pyre set alight at dusk before a huge crowd.

When to go

27 September, or the evening before for the eve celebrations; the date is fixed in the Ethiopian calendar and shifts by a day in leap years. Meskel daisies flower across the highlands at the same time, just after the rains.

Honest expectations

Crowds are enormous and the square is packed for hours; getting close to the pyre is not realistic without arriving very early. Seating stands charge for tickets. Security is heavy and bags are searched. Accommodation in the city fills for the festival.

Nearby

Holy Trinity Cathedral and the museums are within the city.