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Thursday, December 5, 2013

ETHIOPIA-Cradle of Civilization


                                                                

 
This week we are learning about the East African country Ethiopia, considered the cradle of civilization. Its history traces back at least two thousand years to the Kingdom of Aksum, the land of the Blue Nile.  Also referred to as Abyssinia, Ethiopia is considered the birthplace of human kind.   Home to fossils dating back millions of years, Ethiopia is Africa’s oldest state and home to mankind’s oldest human skeletons!
                                                                           

                                  
The people of Ethiopia are believed to have come from Arabia. So although they live in what is considered the Horn of Africa, they come from a completely different origin.

Ethiopian Legend claims that for the most part the people in Ethiopia were Jews, members of the household of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. By viewing the map of Ethiopia it is easy to see how quickly they could migrate to Israel.
                                                                   
According to the book of Acts in the Bible, an Ethiopian eunuch, a member of the royal household, was converted to Christianity by Saint Philip. The eunuch apparently returned to his home “rejoicing” and a great conversation took place in Ethiopia.

The son of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, Menelik I, was the first in a series of kings and emperors that ended in 1975 with the death of Haile Selassie, “The King of Kings Ethiopia, Lion of Judah, and the “Elect of God.”

By the 4th century Christianity became the national religion. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church is not Coptic like the Egyptians. They have their own Patriarch and are quite independent. Ethiopia is home to the famous holy city of Lalibela. Nearly all of the city’s residents are of Ethiopian Orthodox faith, and its population peaks during times of religious pilgrimage. Because of its iconic monolithic churches carved into rock, Lalibela is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
                                                   
There are as many as 84 languages spoken in Ethiopia! Although the official language is Amharic, many Ethiopians speak a local language and are instructed in English.

Haile Selassie I, Ethiopia’s former Emperor, is at the crux of the Rastafarian faith and way of life. He is recognized as the God incarnate, or being both divine and human by followers of the Rasta movement.

 The Ethiopian calendar is seven years behind the calendar we use here in the United States. Furthermore, the Ethiopian calendar has 13 months, which causes an even greater difference between our calendars. For example, while we unwrap presents and sing Christmas carols on December 25th, Ethiopians don’t celebrate the holiday until January 7th by wearing white, and singing and dancing to the beat of drums.
                                                                      


Inspired by the “dancing” of snakes, traditional Ethiopian dance is especially unique.

Mainly comprised of fast, rhythmic upper body movements, the dancing is not only beautiful, but tells a story of life, culture, and tradition in Ethiopia. Traditional Ethiopian dance is rooted in thousands of years in history.

                                                                    

Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee!! My very favorite is Ethiopian Yirgacheffe.  I love Yirgacheffe because it is very spicy and fragrant, yet also slightly chocolaty or nutty at the same time.
                                                          

Ethiopia’s national dish is called “wat.” Ethiopians prefer to eat this spicy stew with injera, a flat, spongy bread. Meals are enjoyed by tearing off a piece of injera and using it to scoop up a big bite of wat. Wat can be made with chicken (doro wat), beef (sega wat), lamb, vegetables and seasoned with berbere, a combination of spices, and niter kibbeh, a clarified butter. It may also be topped off with hardboiled eggs. This week, we will cook a Lamb and Cardamom Wat. I cannot wait!



2 comments:

  1. My mouth is watering! I am looking forward to dinner already :)

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    1. Wish you were here to enjoy it! The girls loved the collard greens and carrots with cabbage! Something they would never touch before. Very happy momma right now!

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