‘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 !!
