Ethiopian New Year

Today Ethiopia celebrates their New Years Day also known as Enkutatash. Enkutatash means "gift of jewels". This holiday marks the end of the rainy season for Ethiopia and the beginning of Spring. If you were to be in Ethiopia on this day you would see nothing but children and people dancing and singing in every village in the countryside.

According to an article I read online the story goes like this:

            " Almost 3,000 ago, the Queen of Sheba of ancient Ethiopia and Yemen
             were returning from a trip to visit King Solomon of Israel in Jerusalem,
             as mentioned in the Bible in I Kings 10 and II Chronicles 9. She had gifted
             Solomon with 120 talents of gold (4.5 tons) as well as a large amount of
             unique spices and jewels. When the Queen returned to Ethiopia her chiefs
             welcomed her with enku or jewels to replenish her treasury."

For the people of Ethiopia this is both a religious and secular event. The day begins with church services and is followed by the family meal time. On this day the girls gather flowers and sing in there newly made dresses and the boys paint pictures of saints. After this, the children fill the villages giving bouquets of flowers and painted pictures to every household. And when that is done, the children will receive small gifts of money or bread.

This is just a little insight to the culture of Ethiopia. This is more than likely a day we will celebrate with our child from Ethiopia. We hope to allow avenues for him to learn about his culture and where he came from.