In Eritrea, Meskel is a joyful spiritual feast; it is traditionally celebrated by families gathering the night before to light a bonfire to prepare to the big day. On the day where all the churches come together by religious processions, candle lighting, and praising God with special hymns to a public square. After the bonfire lit up and turned to ash, Charcoal from the remains of the fire is afterwards collected and used by the faithful to mark their foreheads with the shape of a cross. Women utter joyful sounds while men and priests chant as the Damera-procession happens. And it’s one of those Spiritual feasts that most kids look forward to celebrate. Kids love being part of it, and would join the procession and chant or sing out loud. Meskel also marks the end of the rainy season and the arrival of spring, which means harvest for farmers promoting family unity and social cohesion.
Meskel, with its Damera (bonfire rubbed with white linen) on the day and the lighting of firewood (Shig/hoye) on the eve… What is this all about? What has the Cross of Christ got to do with bonfires and the flaming of hoye-hoye the day before?
On September 14, 326, Emperor Constantine’s mother, St. Helena, found the True Cross on which Jesus was crucified in Jerusalem. The legend of the discovery of the True Cross is that when St. Helena arrived in Golgotha, she looked around in vain. All of a sudden, an old man ambled by, whose name was Kirakios, as St. Helena came to find out later. St. Helena was guided to the site of the Crucifixion by Kirakios, who had inherited traditional knowledge as to its location. After arriving at the location, he showed her three mounds and told her that the cross was inside one of them.
Accordingly, Helena gathered some firewood and made a bonfire (thus serving as a precursor to Damera) and sprinkled incense on it. The smoke produced by the spice soars towards heaven, turns around and nose dives onto the mound that contains the true cross.
Helena gets the message and starts to dig in the indicated mound. To her great surprise, she discovers the True Cross, and the people around her get so excited that they light torches and begin to sing and dance (which leads to our own version of hoye-hoye).
The Cross serves as a call to humanity, drawing people to God through Christ’s crucifixion. It signifies strength, healing, and victory over evil, while reflecting God’s judgment on human responses to His mercy. The Cross is celebrated for its life-giving power and its miracles, emphasizing its importance for believers.
Ultimately, the Cross is celebrated for its life-giving power and the miracles associated with it, emphasizing its significance in the lives of believers
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