The Amhara
are the politically and culturally dominant ethnic group of Ethiopia.
They are located primarily in the central highland plateau of Ethiopia and
comprise the major population element in the provinces of Begemder and Gojjam
and in parts of Shoa and Wallo. In terms of the total Ethiopian population,
however, the Amhara are a numerical minority. The national population has
usually been placed at between 14 and 22 million.
It is generally
estimated that the Amhara, together with the closely related Tigre, constitute
about one-third of this total population. One of the most recent estimates
gives the number of native speakers of Amharic, the language of the Amhara, as
approximately 7,800,000. (cf. Bender 1971:217)
their national clothes
are basically white, whether the shawls and light blankets worn over the
shoulders by the men or the white dresses and wraps worn by the
ladies
In comparison, there seems to be general agreement that the Oromo
peoples form the largest ethnic component in the country, comprising around 40
percent of the population. They are a pastoral and agricultural people who live
mainly in central and southwestern Ethiopia, constitute about 40 percent of the
population.
The Shankella, a people in the western part of the
country from the border of Eritrea to Lake Turkana, constitute about 6 percent
of the population.
The Ethiopians (Peoples of
Africa) (amazon.com) - USA(amazon.co.uk) - UK by Richard Pankhurst, Barbara
Pankhurst complete history of the Ethiopians from pre-history to the
present day draws on research in archaeology, anthropology, linguistics, and
recent historiography.
It charts the development of Ethiopian peoples
and their society, placing emphasis on the African origins of Ethiopian
civilization.
Languages spoken include Amharic,
Tigrinya, Orominga, Guaraginga, Somali, Arabic, other local languages, English
(major foreign language taught in schools)
Here are a few words in
Arabic Hello - Ahalan Goodbye - Ma'a ElSalama Thank you - shokran
You're welcome - Ala ElRahib Wa ElSaa Zero - Sifer One - Wahid
Two - Ithinin Three - Thalatha Four - Arba'a Five - Kamisa
Six - Sita Seven - Saba'a Eight - Thamania Nine - Tisa'a
Ten - Ashara
Religion is a secure and accepted
element of everyday life in Ethiopia and the language is full of references to
God. Yet there is not the ever-present feel that one can experience in a
totally Muslim country for example. On the central plateau, the Ethiopian
Orthodox church holds sway, again an individual and fascinating feature of this
unusual country. Priests and deacons abound in their often colourful robes,
carrying their staffs and ornate crosses that people frequently kiss as they
pass.
Christianity came to Ethiopia in ancient times and became the
official Ethiopian religion in the 4th century. The Orthodox church has many
connections with ancient Judaism. Fasting and detailed food restrictions, the
specific ways of slaughtering animals, circumcision and the layout of the
churches, all these things make for a very particular religious culture.
Islam is also very strong in many parts of Ethiopia, frequently
existing peaceably alongside Christianity. The city of Harar, in the east of
the country, is officially the fourth most holy Muslim site in the world.
Ethiopia has communities of 'falashas', Ethiopian Jews, especially in
the Gondar region in the north. Many of these however have now departed to live
in Israel, having been airlifted out of the country with Operation Solomon and
Operation Moses in the latter part of the 20th century.
In the lowland
areas, animistic and pagan religions are still commonly found among tribal
peoples who live in simple and primitive communities
The 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.
National holidays are held to celebrate the victory over the Italians
at Adwa in 1896, the Liberation from the Italian occupation in 1941 and the
downfall of the Derg in 1991.
But it is the major Ethiopian Orthodox
festivals that represent the people at their most colourful and festive.
Ethiopia Religious Festival Tour Ethiopia Historic
Route tour is also designed in such a way to coincides with the colorful
Festivals of Meskal, Timkat, Christmas or Axum Tsion. You will enjoy beauty of
Ethiopia religious festival celebrations
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to view full itinerary
Ethiopia Meskel Festival Tour Celebrations 16 – 29
September 2008. historic sites, wonders and splendors, stunning
landscapes, fascinating attractions and colorful festivals will surprise any
visitor. The major highlight of this special Ethiopia tour is to attend the
celebration of Meskel Festival in Addis Ababa. The tour also includes a visit
of Ethiopia Historic Route.
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to view full itinerary
Ethiopia
Two major Festivals: Christmas and Timket - Trip Dates 5 - 19
January 2009 The best time to make a holiday to Ethiopia is on the date
of its festivals. Book this special tour to attend the celebration of the two
major festivals- Christmas in Lalibela and Timket in Addis Ababa. The tour also
includes a visit of Ethiopia Historic Route Tigray Rock Churches and Simien
Mountain National park.Click to view full itinerary
Ethiopia
Timket Festival: Celebrating in Lalibela - Trip Dates 15 - 27
January 2009 The main Highlights of this Ethiopia tour is to visit the
celebration of Ethiopian Epiphany- Timket, on 19 January in Lalibela. Lalibela
is one of the Holy towns in the country; Timket festival is celebrated so
colorfully and differently. It is the best place to attend Timket festival in
Ethiopia. The tour also includes a visit of Ethiopia Historic Route.
Click
to view full itinerary
Meskal is a two-day festival at the end of September
celebrating the Finding of the True Cross. Bonfires are lit and singing and
dancing take place around them, while the priests don their full ceremonial
regalia.
Timkat
Timkat usually falls on the January 19,
12 days after Christmas according to the Julian calendar. Festivities take
place the day before as well as the day after. This date varies by a day during
leap years. The festival is celebrated throughout the Ethiopian highlands in
Orthodox Christian strongholds, but nowhere is it quite as spectacular as in
Lalibela, an isolated mountain town in the arid north of the country.
It is a colourful three-day festival celebrating Epiphany and it is
marked by the procession of the tabots (the replicas of the Ark of the
Covenant, the original of which is said to be in the chapel at Axum) around the
towns, draped in heavy embroidered materials. People bathe in the lakes and
splash water over onlookers.
After the ceremony, the tabots are taken
back to the churches in procession, accompanied by singing, drumming, the
ringing of bells and blowing of trumpets. Festivities continue throughout the
day and into the night. More religious ceremony takes place the following day,
dedicated to the Archangel Mikael, after which the priests are fed by their
parishioners and young people continue to celebrate into the night.
Other religious festivals are at Fasika (Easter), Inketatash (the New
Year in mid-September) and Genna (Christmas in early January). All the Islamic
holidays are also celebrated according to the lunar cycle of shifting dates as
in other countries
Ethiopia's staple grain is
called teff, and from its flour the Ethiopians fashion a large pancake-like
bread called injera that they place directly on the dining table. Other dishes
that make up the meal are portioned onto the injera and diners eat by scooping
these portions into rolled-up pieces of the injera that they have torn off.
Thick stews called wats are the most popular dishes and can be made
from meat, vegetables, or beans. Stews is enlivened with the spicy mitin shiro,
a flavorful combination of ground beans, spices, and chilies used to season
many foods.
The last course of a meal is often kitfo, freshly ground
raw beef.
Ethiopians brew a barley beer called tella and a honey wine
called ej. Small fried cookies known as dabo kolo are a favorite
snack
Out in the community, musical instruments
play a social and entertaining role. The single-stringed masenko is played by
minstrels who sing of life around them and invent, calypso-like, topical verses
on the spot. The krar is a lyre-like plucked instrument with 5 or 6 strings
while the begenna is the portable harp.
Up in the hills can be found
boys looking after cattle and sheep and playing on the washint, a simple reed
flute played with one hand.
Ethiopian people know and love their folk
songs. Singing is high pitched and shrill Sand frequently accompanied by
excited ululation, especially at weddings and other joyful occasions.
No
joyous occasion ever passes without the Ethiopians indulging in their unique
form of dancing. There are many styles according to the part of the country,
but they frequently focus on the shoulders which seductively gyrate and
undulate in a frenzied display of almost competitive energy. As one dancer runs
out of steam, so another enters the fray with renewed vigour
Many reggae musicians declare their
importance to having some connection to Ethiopian musical origins although the
Ethiopian musicians will tell you their music has more in common with Jazz.
Stringed instruments like the begena
or the krar are harps while another more fiddle-like instrument is known as
masenko.
Kebaro Very common in popular and religious music is
the kabaro or kebero. When the women and men dance in their beautiful white
robes they dance on the rhythm of the drums
A unique feature of Ethiopian culture
is its naïve style of painting that is to be found in every church and in
many other locations. This style seems to have remained almost unchanged for
centuries.
Figures are drawn in two dimensions, almost cartoon-like in
their direct and simplistic portrayal, with strong colours and clear lines. The
almond-shaped eyes are a particularly appealing characteristic.
Church
painting in Ethiopia serves a very real purpose, with all the biblical and more
localised religious stories being portrayed clearly and simply to inform
uneducated people of their traditions and their heritage. European medieval
imagery is a clear comparison here.
One modern name is clearly
prominent in the world of Ethiopian painting today. Afework Tekle has an
international reputation as an artist of immense standing. His works, though
clearly based in an Ethiopian tradition, have a new and creative dynamism that
is immediately of universal appeal. His vibrant paintings, many of them on very
large canvases, are to be seen throughout Ethiopia in museums and galleries as
well as on postage stamps and postcards
