Meskel

Meskel
Meskel celebration at Meskel Square, Addis Ababa (2016)
Observed by	Oriental Orthodoxy - Orthodox Tewahedo Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church Roman Catholicism - Eastern Catholicism Ethiopian Catholic Church Eritrean Catholic Church Protestantism - Eastern Protestant Christianity P'ent'ay - Ethiopian-Eritrean Evangelical Churches Pentecostal, Lutheran, Baptist, Mennonite, and other Evangelical churches
Significance	Commemorates the Feast of the Cross and the discovery of the True Cross by the Roman Empress Saint Helena of Constantinople in the fourth century.
Celebrations	People gather and burn a torch natively called chibo in every locales Fireworks fulmination Party
Date	27 September 28 September (leap year)
2024 date	27 September
Frequency	Annual

Meskel (Ge'ez: መስቀል, romanized: Mesk’el) is an Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church holiday that commemorates the discovery of the True Cross by the Roman Empress Saint Helena of Constantinople in the fourth century. Meskel is celebrated by Oriental Orthodox members of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church, and to a lesser extent Roman Catholic members the Ethiopian Catholic Church, the Eritrean Catholic Church, and among Protestant members of P'ent'ay - Ethiopian-Eritrean Evangelicalism (including Pentecostal, Lutheran, Baptist, Mennonite, and other Evangelical churches). It is a localized version of the Feast of the Cross and occurs on the 17 Meskerem in the Ethiopian calendar (27 September, Gregorian calendar, or on 28 September in leap years).^[1] "Meskel" (or "Meskal" or "Mesqel", there are various ways to transliterate from Ge'ez to Latin script) is Amharic for "cross".

The feast is held in Meskel Square, named after the festival, in the capital city of Addis Ababa. Religious and civil leaders preside over the celebration, and public figures give speeches and reference biblical themes and stories. Many Ethiopians who live in cities return to their home villages to celebrate the national event. When darkness falls, the Demera is burned.^[2] UNESCO inscribed Meskel in 2013 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.^[3]