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Next: 28 Sept 2027

Meskel

The Finding of the True Cross: a great bonfire, the demera, is lit in Addis Ababa's Meskel Square.

Meskel: This is an image from
Photo: DanielGirmaTsige, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

When is Meskel in 2027?

Meskel 2027 is on Tuesday, 28 September 2027. Other years: 2026, Sunday, 27 September 2026; 2028, Wednesday, 27 September 2028.

About Meskel

Meskel, "cross", on 17 Meskerem (27 September), commemorates the finding of the True Cross by Queen Helena in the fourth century, as remembered by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. On the eve, people bring tall poles of branches, topped with the yellow Meskel daisy and bound together, to central squares and build them into a great pile, the demera. In the evening, the clergy, in bright vestments and carrying crosses and umbrellas, lead processions and singing, then the pile is lit. The direction in which the demera falls once burned is read as an omen by watchers. In Gurage areas, the festival is especially important and families return to their villages for a feast of kitfo, minced meat. UNESCO has listed it.

Meskel dates: 2026, 2027, 2028

YearMeskel date
2026Sunday, 27 September 2026
2027Tuesday, 28 September 2027
2028Wednesday, 27 September 2028

What is eaten

  • kitfo
  • injera
  • ayib

Also part of it, and being written: True Cross (The relic at the centre of the story.), Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (The church that keeps the day.), Kitfo (The Gurage minced beef dish.).

More marked on Meskel

🇪🇹 Ethiopia and 1 moreHabesha coffee ceremonyቡና ማፍላት A daily ritual of roasting, grinding and serving coffee to welcome guests in Ethiopia and EritreaEtiquette 🇪🇹 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and 1 moreMeskelመስቀል (Mesk'el) A celebration in Ethiopia and Eritrea marking the discovery of the True Cross with a large bonfire.Spiritual
About this page

Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Background: "Meskel" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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