Culture of Ethiopia
The culture of Ethiopia cannot be adequately described up in a few words because of the huge ethnic diversity within the country. There are more than 80 different ethnic groups each with its own language, culture, custom and tradition.
However, there are some traditional customs, which are observed almost all over Ethiopia. One of them is the respect for elders. People continue to follow this rule even when they grow up. In the culture of Ethiopia, it is a custom to stand on seeing an elder or to give up one's bed for an older friend or a member of the family. Particularly, in the southern Amhara region, the children are explained that all those older than them are to be respected. Not to do so is a sign of being rude.
Men and women have clearly defined roles. Traditionally men are responsible for providing for the family and for dealing with family contact outside the home whereas women are responsible for domestic work and looking after the children. Cooking and shopping for houehold goods are thought to be women's jobs.
Commensurate with the ethnic diversity, there is also diversity in music, clothing, food, sports, language, religion and festivities in Ethiopian culture.
Music: - Each of Ethiopia's ethnic groups is associated with its unique music. With time, some forms of traditional music have been strongly influenced by folk music from elsewhere, especially from Somalia. Still, you can feel the element of ancient Christianity in Ethiopian religious music. In north-eastern Ethiopia, a Muslim musical form called manzuma developed. Manzuma was sung in Amharic language. It spread to the regions of Harar and Jimma, where it is now sung in the Oromo language. In the highlands, traditional music is played by musicians called as azmaris.
Clothing: - Women's traditional clothes are made from a kind of cloth called habesha kemis. It is a woven cotton with long strips, which are sewn together. Sometimes shiny threads are woven for decoration. It takes about two to three weeks to manufacture enough clothes for a single dress. Men wear pants and a knee-length shirt with a white collar, and sometimes a sweater. They often wear knee-high socks. Both men and women wear shawls, called as neTela. They wear shawls in different styles on different occasions. When going to church, women cover their hair with shawl in such a way that the shiny threads appear at the edge. This style is called as meskelya. During funerals, the shawl is worn so that the shiny threads appear at the bottom. This style is called as madegdeg.
Women wear silver and golden bracelets and necklaces on arms and feet. Some ladies in the cities wear a variety of designer dinner dresses, which combine traditional fabric with modern style. In cities and towns, western clothes are popular on special occasions, such as New Year, Christmas and weddings.
Cuisine: - The cuisine of Ethiopia comprises various vegetable or meat side dishes, often prepared as a thick stew, called as wat. One or more servings of wat are placed upon a piece of injera, which is a large sourdough flatbread, made out of fermented teff flour. Another food is Doro Wat, which is chicken stew with hard-boiled eggs. Most Ethiopians have historically adhered to Islam, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church or Judaism - all of which prohibit eating pork. Therefore, traditional Ethiopian food does not use any pork. Throughout a given year, Orthodox Christians obseve fasts during which food is prepared without any meat or dairy products. During fasts, the vegetarian meals such as lentils, ground split peas, grains, fruit, varieties of vegetable stew accompanied by injera and/or bread are eaten.
The favourite drink of many Ethiopians is bunna (coffee). Bunna is drunk in Ethiopia in a unique and traditional way known as a "coffee ceremony". It is in little cups, up to three times per ceremony. Other beverages are tella and tej. These are locally produced and are are served and drunk on major religious festivals, Saints Days and weddings.
Sports: - Ethiopia's most popular sport is "track and field", in which Ethiopians have won many medals in the Olympic games. Most of Ethiopians also love Soccer.
Language and literature: - The official language of Ethiopia is Amharic - a Semitic language spoken by about 27 million people. Amharic is written in Ge'ez script. The second largest language is Oromo, which is spoken by about one-third of the population. The thid largest language is Tigrinya. Tigrinya is related to Amharic but is mostly spoken in northern Ethiopia in the state of Tigray. Some other languages in use are Guaraginga, Somali, and Arabic. Most villagers speak in their ethnic languages over the official Amharic language. English is the major foreign language taught in schools.
Ethiopian literature is highly significant. It consists mostly of the translations from ancient Greek and Hebrew religious texts into the ancient language Ge'ez, modern Amharic and Tigrigna languages.
Religion: - The major religions of Ethiopia are Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and Islam. Religion is an important part of everyday life in Ethiopia and the language is full of references to God. On the central plateau, the Ethiopian Orthodox church is prevalent. Priests and deacons abound, carrying their staffs and ornate crosses that people frequently kiss as they pass. The Orthodox Church has many connections with ancient Judaism. Fasting and detailed food restrictions, the specific ways of slaughtering animals, circumcision and the layout of the churches, all these things make for a very particular religious culture.
Islam is also very strong in many parts of Ethiopia, frequently existing peaceably alongside Christianity. The city of Harar, in the east of the country, is officially the fourth most holy Muslim site in the world.
Festivals: - The Ethiopians love to celebrate. They celebrate important events in their history, major landmarks in the religious calendar and special family days. Best clothes are worn, food and drink are plentiful, musicians play and people dance and sing. National holidays are held to celebrate the victory over the Italians at Adwa in 1896, the Liberation from the Italian occupation in 1941 and the downfall of the Derg in 1991.
The culture of Ethiopia is indeed facinating.
Anupamaa
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