‘Melkam Genna’ Merry Christmas!
Although the Ethiopian Christmas is not till 7th January it is not too early to send best wishes for the festival which starts on 6th with an all day fast.
Travelling to Lalibela with Alligan Travel our clients will be treated to the sight of thousands of pilgrims from all over the country, congregating in the underground rock hewn churches. Dressed in their ‘shamma’ – traditional white cotton cloth the day will be celebrated with a mixture of carols, chanting and prayer.
The Christmas holidays ‘Ye Ganna Bal’ (the birth of Christ) is a time for feasting, praying and playing of traditional games such as ‘ganna’ which is played with a curved stick and a round wooden ball. Another Christmas sport played is called ‘yeferas suk’ in which the men ride on horseback and shoot lances at each other.
Some good news for the population going forward is the building of a new dam in Lebeyat and Neqor. On completion the dam is expected to produce 5,250MW of much needed electricity.
The above is an artists impression of the huge dam in Benishangul-Gumuz stretching between the mountains of Lebeyat (left) and Neqor (right) and is an expression of the commitment of Ethiopia to its green growth strategy.
MELKAM GENNA !!
Ethiopia’s 4th Annual Flag Day Celebrated!
The 4th Ethiopian National Flag Day was celebrated throughout the land on Monday September 26, 2011 in Addis Ababa. The theme was: “Our Flag and the Grand Renaissance Dam Are Our National Pride”.
President Girma Woldegiyorgis. President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia told those assembled for the celebrations that the national Flag symbolized the Ethiopian nations, nationalities and peoples’ quest for national pride, freedom, sovereignty, development and patriotism. He paid tribute to ‘the courageous sons and daughters of Ethiopia who had sacrificed their lives for the country and the Flag,’
It was also an opportunity to hold discussions on the ‘Five year Mobilisation Plan’
The flag as we know it was adopted in February 1996.
According to Wikipedia “It conforms to the specifications set forth in article 3 of the 1995 Constitution of Ethiopia. The three traditional colours (green, yellow and red) date back to Emperor Menelik (1889–1913) and were first used in a flag in 1897. The current flag and emblem were adopted after the defeat of the Marxist Mengistu regime (in power from 1974–1991). The emblem is intended to represent both the diversity and unity of the country. Blue represents peace, the star represents diversity and unity, and the sun’s rays symbolise prosperity. The green recalls the land, yellow stands for peace and hope, and red is symbolic of strength.”
The flag was also raised in honour of EthiopianAmericans in San Jose this September to mark a week-long celebration of the Ethiopian New Year. This special civic ceremony is a salute to the Ethiopian flag and a heartfelt remembrance of Ethiopian roots and heritage. San Jose is the only city in the nation to have established this traditional, annual acknowledgment of the heritage and history of Ethiopian-Americans. When the Ethiopian flag was first flown over New City Hall in 2005, it was an historical event in that no other foreign flag had been so honored in the history of the city.
Football’s Coming Home!
Ethiopia, usually celebrated worldwide for its runners is now likely to excel on the football field. With Tom Saintfiet as Head Coach since May this year, the team drew in their match with Nigeria much to the amazement of the their coach, Samson Siasia who expressed surprise at their ‘tactical discipline’ and said Nigeria ‘couldn’t find the answer’.
Tom Saintfiet has had a lot of experience coaching and managing teams over the past 15 years and although it is currently a short term contract it has already brought confidence to the Ethiopian team.
Football has a huge following throughout Ethiopia. When not supporting their own boys (nicknamed the Walya Antelopes) the team of choice is Man United and when they are playing whole towns are emptied of cars and pedestrians in favour of the TV….
Ethiopian Football Team
| Date | Location | Opponent | Score | Scorers for Ethiopia | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 27, 2011 | Abuja, Nigeria |  Nigeria |
0 – 4 [2] | N/A | 2012 CAF Qualifying |
| May 28, 2011 | Addis Abeba, Ethiopia |  Sudan |
1 – 2 [3] | Chala Diriba | Friendly |
| June 5, 2011 | Addis Abeba, Ethiopia | Nigeria |
2 – 2 [4] | Saladin Said 45′, 50′ | 2012 CAF Qualifying |
Ethiopia Challenge
Alligan Travel is proud to undertake the in-country ground handling for World Challenge www.world-challenge.co.uk, an organisation who provide expeditions and adventure tours for schools in the developing world.
So far this year we have hosted teams from four schools all of whom have raised their own funds with African quiz nights, cake sales, car washing, baby sitting and much more.
The teams are often involved in building projects in areas where they may have been flood damage or famine, they work alongside local people and play with the children. The materials for the project are purchased locally to boost the income in the area.
Visiting Dodola (for trekking), Bahir Dar, Gondar, Lalibela, the Rift Valley lakes and Debre Zeit they manage to get a real ‘feel’ for this beautiful country. Travelling in their teams with two leaders, they are encouraged to organise themselves as much as possible – although their transport has to be pre-booked their accomodation often isn’t.
Food shopping is also a must and within a short time of landing at Bole Airport they are plunged in to the daily life of Addis visiting the Shi Solomon Hailu supermarket as well as changing money and procuring sim cards.
It is undoubtedly a memorable and positive experience for these young people and Alligan Travel values its role in being part of the adventure.
Human Planet visits the Suri Clan
We hope you are enjoying the fantastic Human Planet series on BBC1? Last Thursday in Grasslands we were shown the Suri clan who engage in the Donga stick fighting that is unique to many of the tribes in the South. Alligan Travel can take you to to visit these tribes where you can witness this fascinating activity http://www.alligantravel.com/id25.html and in case you missed the episode you can see the stick fighting here.
Shahuri prepares for a donga, a stick fight to prove his courage and ability to defend cattle.
Timkat – the Feast of Epiphany is TODAY!!
The afternoon will see the start of the Timkat (baptism) celebrations. Many Ethiopians will form a procession from a local church – particlarly in Gondar - and walk behind a priest bearing a model of the Ark of the Covenant. They will proceed to the Fasiledes bath accompanied by chanting and traditional dancing.
Tomorrow, in the early morning there will again, be a procession and wonderful religious chanting until the priest blesses the water at which point onlookers can immerse themselves in a ritual reenactment of the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River and take the opportunity to symbolically renew their baptismal vows. The holy Arks will then be returned to their churches.
A Very Successful Tour!
Alligan Travel offers a 14 day tour to the north of Ethiopia as can be seen on our website http://www.alligantravel.com/id21.html This is a very exciting tour as it combines the natural beauty of the Simien landscape with the amazing rock-hewn churches of Lalibela and so much else in between…..
Andarg, our general manager in Ethiopia recently arranged a tour for Christina Pietra from Italy. He welcomed her at Bole airport and drove her to her hotel – the Ankober guest house. After a comfortable night she set off for Bahir Dar via the fabulous Blue Nile Gorge and from the ‘base camp’ of the Ghion hotel she visited Lake Tana and took a boat trip the some of the nearby monasteries. Gonder was the next stop with its historical delights, resting up at the Belegez Pension. A spectacular drive through the Simien Mountains with time to view its population of Gelada baboons was followed by a visit to Chenck after a night in the well provisioned Sankabar campsite. The next day was spent on the road amidst very exciting scenery on the way to Axum and after a pleasant rest overnight in the Exodus hotel, Christina visited the local sites before driving to Mekele. She broke her journey at the Hatsey Yohanne Hotel and drove on to Lalibela – a lovely trip through incredible Tigrayan scenery and villages and culminating in two days of exploring the wonderful churches and surroundings of the ancient town of Lailbela. Christina stayed at the Asheton hotel there and at the Tekle hotel in Kombolcha on her way back to Addis.
Christina says this of her visit to Ethiopia:
“I highly recommend the services of Alligan Travel. My experience with them was very satisfying. The car had no problem for the entire circuit (more than 2,500 kms), the driver was nice, reliable and his English was good enough for a real conversation. The hotels suggested were clean (both room and bathroom) and comfortable.
Andarg was always available for any need. When I decided to travel a bit with some new travel mates, he booked another hotel in another city.”
Christina also invites anyone to contact her for comments if you are thinking of paying this wonderful country a visit….
“If you seek advice for a journey to Ethiopia, here is my e-mail:
We are very happy that Christina was so pleased with her tour….We love delivering the delights of Ethiopia to all comers who are always amazed at the richness of the history and culture as well as the friendliness of its people!
…..and here are the results of the 2010 Great Ethiopian Run!!
2010 Great Ethiopian Race Results – Women
2010 Great Ethiopian Race Results – Men
Well done to Andarg and to all to who took part in this amazing event….all 35,000 of you!
The 10th Great Ethiopian Run!
The legendary Haile Gebrselassie, world record holder, founded this race which will take place in the morning of 21st November. Runners this year will include many international athletes who will be competing against Alligan Travel’s very own General Manager, Andargachew Girma along with Ethiopians and tourists from all walks of life. Starting in Addis the run is 10K along the highways and Andarg reckons he will beat his personal record. We wish him luck!
Apart from raising the profile of sports tourism, a portion of the registration payments will be allocated to charity This can help in the provision of mobility cycles for disabled young people so that they be part of the whole exciting event.
2010 Ethiopian Airlines Great Ethiopia Run
600 000: birr raised for charity so far
35000: participants registered for the international 10 km race
3500: children registered for the children’s races
300: international participants coming
15: ambassadors for the Toyota ambassadors race
10: kilometres to cover
6: bands on the route
1: Great Ethiopian Run!
Celebrate Meskel eve with us on 26th September!
We will make our way to the Meskel Square in Addis along with thousands of Ethiopians wearing their best bright white clothes. Here we will meet boys and girls shepherded by priests who surround an enormous pyre which is decorated with crosses and olive leaves. Torch bearers will set it alight as the sun sets. All watch while the chosen few circle the ‘demera’ and fling their torches on to it while singing a joyous song.
The word itself, ‘Meskel’, means ‘cross’ and Meskel is a celebration of the revealing of the True Cross to Helena, mother of Constantine the Great.
Four pieces of the True Cross were eventually given to Emperor Dawit as a ‘thank you’ for the protection he gave to the Egyptian Copts from persecution by the Egyptian Muslims. He brought the precious pieces back to Ethiopia under strict security and placed them in a church in Gishen, Northern Wollo some time in the early Middle Ages.
Meskel –a celebration second only to Timket – is also a time to say ‘goodbye’ to the rains and to welcome in Tseday (spring) with its beautiful Meskel daisies (Yadey Abeba) and bright sunshine.
