Interesting Facts About
ETHIOPIA
The Ethiopian Calendar
There are 13 months in the Ethiopian Calendar! Each month has 30 days and the last month has only 5 or 6. New Year's is celebrated in September and it there is an 8 year difference with the western calendar. (ie. in 2003 it is actually 1995 in Ethiopia)
The Seasons
It's all backwards if you think you can enjoy summer in Ethiopia. When it is summer time here, it is winter time over there!! Make sure you pack a jacket
The Time
There is an 8 hour difference between Dallas (central time) and Addis Abeba, Ethiopia. This changes according to daylight savings time, but it's good to know that morning here will be night time over there. Another thing is that if you are in Ethiopia, you can't say that lunch time is 12 noon....they call it 6 o'clock. That means that you add 6 hours from 1pm to 6pm & 1am to 6am and subtract 6 hours from 7pm to 12am & 7am to 12pm.
The Language
The national language of Ethiopia is Amharic, but there are over 70 languages spoken throughout our country! Other major languages are Tigrigna and Oromiffa. English, Arabic, and French are used to translate for foreign diplomats in addition to the languages mentioned above.
The Music
Ethiopian music is awesome. The different beats give way to different forms of dancing from different areas of Ethiopia. The Ethiopian Orthodox church service is also follows a form of music that came from St. Yared. Traditional instruments include "kebero" (drum), "kirar" (upright guitar), "washint" (flute), "masinko" (upright violin), and "begena" (harp)
The Dancing
"Chewata" is the Ethiopian term for dance and it is used for many types of dancing. "Eskista" is the most commonly seen form. Other types include "Ye Gurage Cheweta", "Ye Tigrigna Chewata", "Ye Tembein Chewata", "Ye Wolayta Chewata", "Ye Oromo Chewata", "Ye Sodere Chewata" and other variations on "eskista" for the Gojam and Wolo area.
The Food
Ethiopian food is explosive in flavor with a wonderful blend of spices. The basic meal will include "injera" and "wot" The injera is like our bread and appears like french crepes or pancakes. The "wot" is like a stew with can use all types of ingredients like beef, lamb, chicken, lentles, split peas, potatoes, carrots, spinach, cabage, and green beans. The key to our flavor is the spiced butter and berbere powder. There are plenty of dishes for vegitarians and vegans, but the main traditional dish is "doro wot", or chicken stew. Other foods include "sambusa" (like samosas, empanadas, or egg rolls), "sinig" which is a jalapeno stuffed with onion and tomato, "ibe" which is a cheese made from buttermilk to help cool down your tongue after the spicy dishes, and "irgo" which is plain yogurt. There are also many types of breads which include "dabo" (generic name for bread), "(h)ambasha", "hibist", and "mul-mul". For those of you who have tried everything, ask around to try "kitfo and kocho" (make sure you say "leb-leb"), "foule", "kinche", "beso", "genfo", "fir-fir" (all kinds), "chico", "dabo kolo", "kolo", "chechebsa", "kategna", "tehilo", and much more.
The Traditional Clothing
Our traditional clothes is all white for the males and the same for women but with beautiful designs on cloth called "tilet". The men's clothing is very similar to that of India and Saudi Arabia (and somewhat to the Phillipines). The top is very long (down to the knees or mid-thigh). The women wear dresses. Over the clothes, we wear "netela" which is a very thin cloth worn like a shawl. The women's "netela" matches the design on their dress. The men can also wear "jano" which bears the colors of the Ethiopian flag. For weddings or special celebrations, one may wear a "kaba" which has a solid color (black, green, or red) with gold or silver embroidered designs along the neck and midline of the cape. Another type of clothing is "Dorsay Libs" which is very baggy and colorful. Now, a lot of the cultural cloth ("tilet") is used to make more modern dresses and vests.
The Size & Population
Ethiopia is roughly less than twice the size of Texas with a total area of 1,127,127 sq km. The population is now approximately over 67 million!!
The Athletics
Ethiopia's claim to fame is in long distance running. Among the most famous are Abebe Bekila, Meruts Yeftir, Mamo Wolde, Haile Gebreselasie, Derartu Tulu, Fatuma Roba, and on and on and on.....
In Ethiopia, they also love the sport of soccer. In addition, many Ethiopians love ping-pong, or table tennis.
Interesting Facts About
ETHIOPIA
The Historical Sights
Ethiopia is a beautiful place with many amazing sights such as Axum's obelisks, the churches of Lalibela, Atse Fasil's castles in Gonder, the "smoking falls" known as "Tiss Abay" in Gojam, the monastaries in Bahir Dar. You can also find one source of the Blue Nile in Ethiopia too (Lake Tana)!
The Religious History
The Origin of Coffee
Found in the Kaffa region, coffee beans can be found as they grow to be green. They turn red when they are ripe.
The Coffee Ceremony
The coffee ceremony is considered one of the most popular parts of Ethiopian culture. It all begins with spreading out "ketema" leaves on the ground and setting out the fancy coffee cups out on a tray. The "jebena" is our coffee maker where coffee grounds are brewed in boiling water with a little filter stuffed before the spout. At the same time, insence is burned to set the mood for chit-chat. Another thing that can be found is "findisha",or popcorn, to be passed around to all the guests. The ceremony takes place with three rounds of coffee. The first round is the strongest serving of coffee. The coffee grounds are used for each round, thus the coffee is weaker each time.
The Emperial History
King Solomon to HIM
The Elevations
Ethiopian Highlands
The Attractions
Museums, National Parks, and Tourism Agencies
The Diaspora
Ethiopians everywhere....Europe, Asia, Canada, Alaska, all over the US, Hawaii, S. America, Africa, New Zealand and Australia
