An Ethiopian Christmas

As the second oldest Christian kingdom in the world, Ethiopia is a country that is steeped in ancient Christmas traditions. In fact, legends claim that one of the three wise men originally came from Ethiopia. Ledet or Genna, as Christmas is known, is celebrated on January 7 because the country follows its own calendar similar to that of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Santa Claus and Christmas trees are tough to find, but the strong sense of community, religion, and family is overpowering.

I was staying at a locally developed eco-tourism initiative in Dorze, a cute, market-driven village in southern Ethiopia. Mekonnen was a 25 year old Rastafarian entrepreneur who has turneda grassroots venture into a successful tourism co-operative that gives back to the community.

“I started with nothing,” he explained. “I bought a small piece of land and I charged tourists a small amount to camp there.” He diligently saved every penny and soon he had enough to build a traditional Dorze beehive-shaped hut made from woven banana leaves and bamboo. His business quickly expanded and the lodge now includes twelve picture perfect huts with more to come.

However, the real brilliance of Mekonnen’s business plan lies in the colorful scarves and traditional African pottery that decorate the entrance to his compound. He started a craft co-operative to provide jobs for villagers and he uses the profits from sales to invest in new weaving looms and pottery wheels.

The business is self-perpetuating as tourists flock to buy his colorful African products. He allows foreigners to visit the co-operative to witness the intensive work that is put into each piece, and thus he is able to request fair prices for his goods.

The villagers are grateful for the increasing number of jobs that have been created because of sky-rocketing tourism numbers. Mekonnen has single-handedly changed Dorze from an unknown Ethiopian village into a “must-see” on the tourist circuit because of the positive relations he has been able to foster between locals and foreigners.

As we sat down to eat breakfast, I could sense another presence behind me. I turned around to see two adorable girls about four years old watching from a distance. I gave them a big smile. They giggled and pointed at my hair.

“They want to braid it,” Mekonnen told me. They hurried over before I could change my mind and their tiny fingers deftly twisted my long blonde hair into African braids in record time.

“I’ve adopted seventeen orphans whose parents have died from AIDS,” Mekonnen told me proudly. “I teach them skills like braiding and pottery from a young age so that they can work in the co-operative when they get older.”

Ethiopians spend Christmas Eve fasting, then head to tchurch at dawn on Christmas morning. Gift giving is not part of the tradition, although in recent years it is becoming more common for children to receive a small piece of clothing. The holiday is followed up by the three day festival Timkat starting on January 19 and celebrating the baptism of Jesus Christ.

We watched the morning religious procession and some friendly Dorzians insisted on a walk. We ended up at a tent serving tej, a potent honey wine poured out of a giant metal kettle and served into test-tube shaped glasses. An elderly man came over and vigorously shook my hand. I could see that he was wracking his brain for words of English that he had learned decades ago.

“Hello,” he finally said with a big toothless grin. “I, Oreganoromi.” He proudly brought his companions over and introduced them as his brother and sister. “Welcome to Ethiopia,” he finished with a huge smile.