I woke up in Gonder to chanting and singing ... at 3 a.m. It is Sunday, and apparently they get an early start on the whole worshipping thing here. The singing continued well until we left at around 8:30.
A pair in our group is trying to leave Gonder due to a medical issue. Who comes to Ethiopia when they can't walk? Everyone here is most gracious and helpful, but the facts are these: this country would be impossible to navigate in a wheelchair. It is crumbling rocks on the best walkways to and from the sites, there are stairs everywhere, not to mention that you have to crawl in and out of a four wheel drive vehicle multiple times a day.
We encountered street construction and a marathon on the way to our first sight of the day, as well as many curious townspeople who mostly wave and smile. Ethiopia is much like Iran. Stone faced people who stare at you until you smile at them, and then their whole face lights up. It is such a transformation. From a perceived glare of (at worst, hostility) to (at best, indifference) to the most welcoming and friendly face you can imagine.
Our first stop today was Kaskuam. It was constructed by Empress Mentewab after 1730. It is partially a ruin, but the splendor of the past is readily apparent.
Ethiopians have three style of crosses, the Gonder cross, the Lalibela cross and the Axum cross (more on crosses later, don't worry!), you can see each of these about the doors of the banquet hall. The Empress's bones and those of her son and grandson are in a class topped coffin in a small anteroom. When we visited those rooms, we were given candles and had them lit by the attendant, it was a very small room and very intimate and quiet.
While we were here, we got to see a vulture up close and personal. They had been visible during our drive out to the Blue Nile Falls, with as many as five in a tree, but today one flew over our heads and landed in a close tree. They are huge and impressive and sinister looking. But vultures are really magnificent birds, highly adapted to their lot in life, so I admire that.
We also walked to a place where those training to be priests and deacons live during their training. It takes 10 years to become a deacon and 15 years to become a priest. These boys and men live in small thatched huts - anywhere from one to five people per hut. They were very comfortable having their picture taken, and were making lunch from last night's leftover injera and beans. One young man kept taking my picture with his cell phone, while I took his. We both laughed.
Then we went directly to Debre Birhan Selassie ("Mountain of The Enlightened Trinity") . This church was founded in the 1690's and is the only church in Gonder to have survived the destruction of the Dervish of Sudan. This particular church is rectangular in shape - probably due to a rebuild in the 18th century. It is said that the church was saved when a swarm of bees attacked the Dervish.
When we arrived, there was another wedding taking place. It is the end of harvest season, so the wedding count is high. One person estimated that we saw at least twelve weddings by the end of the day.
Inside the church (women were required to wear a scarf and enter through another door) were more stunning paintings, again focusing a lot on Mary. Ethiopians include two additional books that are not found in the Bible in their practices. These books are strictly related to Mary. I will have to see if I can find a copy in English and get the proper names.
One thing that is interesting in all these paintings is the one eyed person. If you see a person depicted with only one eye, or only in profile, they are the bad guy in the tale. The eyes are huge here, watching over everyone. The angels eyes don't look directly at you, but are supposed to be looking toward God at all times.
The three main symbolic instruments used in services here are the staff, the drum and the sistern. Each of these has a massive amount of symbolism attached to them. Down to the straps on the drum itself symbolizing the lashings that Jesus took. The movements the priests make signify either the pounding of nails into the cross, the pushing and pulling of Jesus towards the cross, etc. Everything also has a numeric significance. Threes (the trinity), twelves (the apostales), etc. It is all very complex and layered.
After our church tour, we walked around the church to this spot which served as a place to socialize after services. We were welcomed and given food, it was quite an event. Then we walked to another seminary, talking to the children all the way along. It was a wonderful experience. We even had other young men taking our pictures with their cell phones again. Fair is fair, after all.
A pair in our group is trying to leave Gonder due to a medical issue. Who comes to Ethiopia when they can't walk? Everyone here is most gracious and helpful, but the facts are these: this country would be impossible to navigate in a wheelchair. It is crumbling rocks on the best walkways to and from the sites, there are stairs everywhere, not to mention that you have to crawl in and out of a four wheel drive vehicle multiple times a day.
We encountered street construction and a marathon on the way to our first sight of the day, as well as many curious townspeople who mostly wave and smile. Ethiopia is much like Iran. Stone faced people who stare at you until you smile at them, and then their whole face lights up. It is such a transformation. From a perceived glare of (at worst, hostility) to (at best, indifference) to the most welcoming and friendly face you can imagine.
Our first stop today was Kaskuam. It was constructed by Empress Mentewab after 1730. It is partially a ruin, but the splendor of the past is readily apparent.
Ethiopians have three style of crosses, the Gonder cross, the Lalibela cross and the Axum cross (more on crosses later, don't worry!), you can see each of these about the doors of the banquet hall. The Empress's bones and those of her son and grandson are in a class topped coffin in a small anteroom. When we visited those rooms, we were given candles and had them lit by the attendant, it was a very small room and very intimate and quiet.
While we were here, we got to see a vulture up close and personal. They had been visible during our drive out to the Blue Nile Falls, with as many as five in a tree, but today one flew over our heads and landed in a close tree. They are huge and impressive and sinister looking. But vultures are really magnificent birds, highly adapted to their lot in life, so I admire that.
We also walked to a place where those training to be priests and deacons live during their training. It takes 10 years to become a deacon and 15 years to become a priest. These boys and men live in small thatched huts - anywhere from one to five people per hut. They were very comfortable having their picture taken, and were making lunch from last night's leftover injera and beans. One young man kept taking my picture with his cell phone, while I took his. We both laughed.
Then we went directly to Debre Birhan Selassie ("Mountain of The Enlightened Trinity") . This church was founded in the 1690's and is the only church in Gonder to have survived the destruction of the Dervish of Sudan. This particular church is rectangular in shape - probably due to a rebuild in the 18th century. It is said that the church was saved when a swarm of bees attacked the Dervish.
When we arrived, there was another wedding taking place. It is the end of harvest season, so the wedding count is high. One person estimated that we saw at least twelve weddings by the end of the day.
Inside the church (women were required to wear a scarf and enter through another door) were more stunning paintings, again focusing a lot on Mary. Ethiopians include two additional books that are not found in the Bible in their practices. These books are strictly related to Mary. I will have to see if I can find a copy in English and get the proper names.
One thing that is interesting in all these paintings is the one eyed person. If you see a person depicted with only one eye, or only in profile, they are the bad guy in the tale. The eyes are huge here, watching over everyone. The angels eyes don't look directly at you, but are supposed to be looking toward God at all times.
The three main symbolic instruments used in services here are the staff, the drum and the sistern. Each of these has a massive amount of symbolism attached to them. Down to the straps on the drum itself symbolizing the lashings that Jesus took. The movements the priests make signify either the pounding of nails into the cross, the pushing and pulling of Jesus towards the cross, etc. Everything also has a numeric significance. Threes (the trinity), twelves (the apostales), etc. It is all very complex and layered.
After our church tour, we walked around the church to this spot which served as a place to socialize after services. We were welcomed and given food, it was quite an event. Then we walked to another seminary, talking to the children all the way along. It was a wonderful experience. We even had other young men taking our pictures with their cell phones again. Fair is fair, after all.
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