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Thali

Next: 28 Sept 2027

Meskel

The finding of the True Cross, kept with a great bonfire and, among the Gurage, a feast of kitfo.

This is an image from
Photo: DanielGirmaTsige, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

What is eaten for Meskel

Meskel marks the finding of the True Cross. On the eve a tall bonfire called the demera is lit in every town, and the direction it falls is read as a sign for the year. For the Gurage people of southern Ethiopia, Meskel is the biggest holiday of all, and families travel home for it. Oxen are slaughtered, and the feast is kitfo, minced raw or lightly warmed beef with spiced butter and chilli. It is served with kocho, a flatbread made from the enset plant, and fresh cheese with greens.

The dishes

KitfoMinced beef in spiced butter, the Gurage feast dish.KochoFlatbread made from fermented enset.TejHoney wine for the holiday.InjeraServed across the rest of the country.

More dishes made for Meskel

Coffee ceremonyVeganቡና ማፍላት 🇪🇹 Ethiopia and 1 moreA social ritual of roasting, brewing and sharing coffee in Ethiopia and Eritrea Drink
About this page

Written by the Thali desk with AI assistance. Background: "Meskel" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from family to family and place to place. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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