The Meskel is a procession that commemorates Saint Helena’s discovery of the original cross where Christ was crucified. The feast is celebrated on 27th of September. During The eve of Maskel, vast bonfires are lit country wide, and piled high in town squares. Boys and girls began to flock in gangs, singing and dancing about with the long bundles of dried sticks lighted like torches and spectacled with them throughout the town and the celebrations continue until dawn. In Addis Ababa, the celebrations take place in Maskal Square, to the southeast of the City centre.
This festival also coincides with the mass blooming of the golden
yellow ‘Meskal daisies’, Called ‘Adey Abeba’ in Amharic. People of
all ages are seen in the streets carrying fresh bunches of yellow
flowers. The festival celebrated with the greatest pomp and show.
In the middle ages, the Patriarch of Alexandria gave to the
Ethiopian Emperor Dawit half of the True Crossin return for the
protection afforded to the Coptic Christian. A fragment of the True
Cross is reputed to be held at the Gishen Mariam Church which is
about 70 km to the northward of Dessie.