By Karon Majeel
Centuries before Americans were devastated by terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, Ethiopians recognized the day as “Enkutatash,” the Ethiopian New Year. Some believe it was the day that Noah found land, marking the end of the Old Testament flood, and others that it coincides with the birth of Christ. This year, Enkutatash is most significant as the beginning of their year 2000, the Ethiopian New Millennium.
Unlike most of the world, Ethiopia still observes the Julian calendar; forerunner to the Gregorian, introduced by Julius Caesar in 46 BC. Consequently, the Ethiopian calendar is now seven years and eight months behind the internationally observed Gregorian.
Ethiopia is perhaps best known in America as the home of legendary long-distance runner Haile Gebrselassie and the late Emperor Haile Selassie, revered by Rastafarians and respected by many Black Americans for his statesmanship in the mid-20th century. But Ethiopia is also an ancient country, known throughout the world for the 1974 archaeological site of Lucy, called “Dinkenesh” by Ethiopians, one of the oldest humanoid skeletons ever discovered. The country is also home to Bathsheba, the queen of Sheba pronounced “Makeda” in Amharic, the language of Ethiopia. Their custom credits the return of Makeda to Ethiopia from Solomon’s court as the first observance of the New Year holiday, as her people welcomed her home with jewels, called “enku,” and celebration.
Enkutatash, which means “gift of jewels” in Amharic, ushers in the spring season and is a time of harvest. Today, traditional observances center on being with family and celebrating Ethiopian culture. The country has both strong Muslim and Christian faith communities, so most Ethiopians – many dressed in traditional garb – begin the day at their mosque or church. Afterwards, they enjoy a traditional Ethiopian meal of “doro wat,” a spicy chicken stew eaten by hand with “injera,” a sourdough flatbread, as well as flavorful lamb dishes and homemade beer. The celebration then evolves into an evening of partying, beginning with a coffee ceremony, and followed by singing, storytelling, dancing, and sharing hopes and dreams for the future.
In America, the 2007 Enkutatash holiday signals the return of a more public New Year’s celebration.
“After the terrorist attacks in 2001, many of us felt it may appear insensitive and disrespectful to our new countrymen to appear to be too festive on that day,” explains Makia Mariam at Mona Lisa Salon for Women of Color in Aurora.
Mariam still wears traditional clothing on Enkutatash, and wears her hair in the traditional Ethiopian braid, “shuruba,” in remembrance of her former country. She also prepares the traditional dishes, as family and friends visit carrying fresh flowers, reminiscent of the Ethiopia Spring and symbolic of renewal.
“In Ethiopia it was a lot like Christmas, too, ending with the young people going door-to-door singing songs and receiving gifts,” she explains.
Local celebrations include services at the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Aurora and traditional meals at Ethiopian restaurants. DC 10 nightclub at 940 Lincoln St. in Denver will celebrate on Sept. 10 with a deejay from Washington, D.C. who specializes in Ethiopian music.
In Ethiopia, elaborate plans for New Millennium celebrations, with rumored performances by Janet Jackson, Beyonce Knowles, and 50 Cent, are being met with mixed reviews. While some Ethiopians view the festivities as an opportunity to showcase the country’s ethnic diversity and rich history and culture, others object to spending millions on concert halls and celebrations in an impoverished country. Ethiopia ranks only 170 out of 177 indicators in the United Nation’s Human Development Index.
The Ethiopian new millennium won’t begin with peace. Ethiopian troops are stationed in Somalia to assist its interim government with the more than 30-year-old border conflict with neighboring Eritrea continues.
In June, the United Nations adopted two distinct resolutions concerning Ethiopia. The first recognized “the celebration of the Ethiopian Millennium as a unique African occasion.” The second, however, came from the U.N. Security Council, extending the mandate of the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea for six months, until Jan. 31, 2008. The Security Council also reissued its demands that Eritrea remove troops from the Temporary Security Zone and Ethiopia reduce its force nearby.
“My hope is that the New Year will begin a time of reconciliation in Ethiopia,” shares Getabcha “Gete” Mekonnen, the executive director of Northeast Denver Housing Center.
A U.S. citizen born in Ethiopian, Mekonnen believes what his native country – and its children – most deserve is peace.
“I am hoping the new millennium will bring peace to the new, young generation of Ethiopia,” he declares.
Editor’s note: Last month, Ethiopia’s beloved Lucy was quietly shipped to the Houston Natural Sciences Museum for exhibition, the first stop of her American tour. Many Ethiopians are angry with their government for risking injury to these irreplaceable artifacts, and are especially incensed that American audiences will see the original artifact, something Ethiopians were only allowed to do twice since her discovery. The exhibit in Ethiopia displayed a replica, while the original artifact remained in a vault for safekeeping.
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