Enkutatash is the Ethiopian New Year. Only the inhabitants of this country celebrate it not in winter, but in autumn, on September 11. The prolonged rains just stop, the harvest time comes. But it's not just the seasons. There is a beautiful legend about the origin of the holiday.
According to legend, the date was chosen by the Queen of Sheba herself. On this very day, she returned from Jerusalem, where she met with King Solomon and became pregnant with him. The subjects greeted their mistress with joy, brought numerous gifts to the palace. After all, she brought good news for the country: the future baby was called to start a new dynasty of Solomonids.
In modern Ethiopia, the celebration of Enkutatash begins on the evening of September 10th. People make bonfires in the streets. The main one burns in the capital square in Addis Ababa, the head of state himself sets it on fire. The crowd around is rejoicing and having fun, everyone is watching where the charred top of the tree will fall. There is a belief that one must wait for a good harvest in that direction.
Not without religious events. The next morning, September 11, everyone puts on their national clothes and goes to church. There is a festive procession, priests sing hymns, read sermons. Then people go to their homes. There they set the table for the whole family. The festive lunch consists of traditional national dishes. This is a stew called uat, a sour and flat white bread, a kind of injera made from teff that grows only in Ethiopia, which must be fermented with water and salt.
All Ethiopians are very fond of the Enkutatash holiday. But children especially like him. Boys and girls gladly put on bright clothes, weave beautiful wreaths from flowers and distribute them to passers-by. Boys draw pictures in advance and sell them on holiday. Girls in national dresses pick up cabero drums and walk through neighboring houses. This is somewhat reminiscent of Russian carols: children sing special New Year's songs, and the owners of the houses give them small coins.
In the evening, adults go to visit friends to have a glass of local beer, tella. It is made from the leaves and branches of the Ethiopian gesho shrub. And the children are also resting - they spend the money they earned during the day.
