Meskerem, the first of the thirteen months which comprise the Ethiopian calendar, symbolizes the start of the New Year. Also reputed as Ethiopia’s festival season, Meskerem, which begins on the 11th of September, remains an idyllic time to visit the Land of Origins.
The month is also a symbol of hope, of transitioning from the dark winter to the breezy and lush spring. Clad in their colorful traditional costumes, Ethiopians-young and old- welcome it with joy. Meskerem is also such a blessing for the land itself. Since the month comes with the end of the rainy season, the rural landscape is covered with dense of spectacular yellowish flowers called adey abeba (Bidens macroptera).
Meskel, a UNESCO-inscribed intangible cultural heritage, is celebrated among Ethiopian Orthodox Christians on Meskerem 17 and commemorates the unearthing of the True Holy Cross of Christ. In the capital Addis Ababa, the big Demara (bonfire) is lit at the Meskal Square, but claws of flames from big Demera bonfires across every neighborhood, roundabout and street corner scratch the air everywhere. The same is performed in most Orthodox Christian traditions across the country. However, the vibe of Meskel varies as one travels across different Christian cultures for it exhibits the intertwin between religion and culture. A tourist who finds himself in Gurage Zone, South Ethiopia, for example, witnesses the power of the festival as it brings together whole families who were apart yearlong and abounded by big feasts. In other parts of this region Meskel is celebrated along with new year advents so the vibe is heightened and more social values depicted including traditional weddings.
This year, the Mawlid festivity, which was celebrated with a colorful ceremony by the followers of Islam, has added color to the Meskerem vibe.
Similarly, the weeklong Irreecha cultural festival celebrated by the Oromo people at the end of the month, commemorates the beginning of spring as a time of reconciliation, unity and thanksgiving. Addis Ababa and Bishoftu, in particular, will be swarmed with celebrants, come Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
While all of these events call for gatherings, mutual support, togetherness and festive mood is evident in them.
Aside from the festive mood, the nation expects to earn the much needed foreign currency thanks to the peak tourism season, which also happens to fall on September. The month is no wonder a ripe time for touristic adventures also because a considerably higher flow of domestic tourists accompanies it.
It is high time that efforts are concentrated around revivifying the tourism industry in such a way that it benefits the nation by unlocking the potentials. Especially, governmental and non-governmental private sector institutions engaged in the culture and tourism industries should roll up their sleeves and make the best of this season by devoting the energy, time and resources it entails.
The government has already pledged to cash in on the tourism industry. The Ministry of Culture & Tourism, the governmental body tasked with supervising the pace of the industry, is in the midst of developing 99 existing and new tourist destinations across the breadth and width of the Eastern African nation. By doing so Ethiopia hopes that the industry back on its feet after the coronavirus and war shocks fetches it several billions of dollars by the end of 2023. But for this effort to see the light of the day, public-private-partnerships (PPP), should be selected across all regions in the country.
The cost of tourism readiness and destination development could be up to 10 billion Birr, while marketing, branding, and promotion could go up as high as 1.2 billion Birr. The government will allocate 60 percent of this amount, while donors, the community, and the private sector will pitch in for the remainder.
An outstanding opportunity to make use of for stakes in the sector is that the annual World Tourism Day event, clearly not by design, is celebrated in the same month of September. All stakes thus must go the limit to promote Ethiopia’s tourist destinations to the international community. No less amount of fervor should be dedicated to the momentous task having several other cultural festivals in UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritages.
BY BINIYAM ALEMAYEHU