Another image from Meskel, of the choir in their liturgical crowns.

Even if you do not follow photography news, I think you should take a look at this post on The Online Photographer, and follow the link to the story. These are the risks that journalists take to tell us of the policies and acts of some of the world’s most repressive regimes. I can only [...]

Meskel (transliterations may vary, as Fidel does not map directly to Roman script) is one of the most important Ehtiopian religious holidays, as it celebrates the finding of the true cross, an even which involved placing a fire on the spot it was found (look this up–I have limited and expensive bandwidth). The finding of [...]

The crowd, with their beeswax tapers. I had one too, which meant I was a constant danger to myself and those around me, as every time I changed my camera orientation, I risked hitting something. Luckily, I was standing on a chair in the ‘Respected Guests’ section at this point.

A group of priests in traditional ceremonial garb, with the colorful parasols favored by the church.

Debtoras (deacons) are responsible for the liturgical dance portion of Ethiopian religious celebrations (along with the choir). You can see them holding two of the traditional liturgical musical instruments, the prayer staff (used for leaning on during 4+ hour Masses), thumped on the ground, and cistra, a type of rattle.

I think it speaks for itself.

The grand building in the distance is the Sheraton Addis, one of the most deluxe hotels in all of Africa–a study in contrasts, no?