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!
Sources:http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/ethiopia.html,
http://www.ethiopiantreasures.co.uk/pages/culture.htm
My mouth is watering! I am looking forward to dinner already :)
ReplyDeleteWish 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!
Delete