History, Religion and Community

Thanks for taking the time to visit my newly chartered blog. I was inspired to begin writing and become, dare I say ... "A BLOGGER" after one of the most amazing trips of my short life. It is difficult to know where to start, but I have chosen the title for this entry due to three elements that I believe describe my latest 6-day jaunt to Lalibela, Ethiopia.

History - I suppose it may be important to give a quick "historical landmark plaque" on the town. Lalibela is considered one of the holiest cities in Ethiopia, it sits about 650 kilometers north of Addis Ababa. It is a town of about 15,000 people, all of whom are Ethiopian Orthodox Christian. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church was one of the first sects of formal Christianity. It goes back as far as 3-4th century A.D.  As a side-note, it is important to tell readers that Ethiopia is about 70%Ethiopian Orthodox Christian, 30% Muslim, and a sprinkling of Jewish and other religions mixed in. The town consists of small villages, and 11 "Rock hewn" churches. These churches are the tourist draw to this town (and what drew me to travel there), but the churches are not the reason I will return to this isolated and beautiful place. Thought to be constructed around the 12th-13th century A.D. by King Lalibela, ruler of Ethiopia at this time, the churches exist in three forms: Monolithic, Semi-monolithic, and completely carved into a mountain (much like Petra, Jordan). Many of these churches are also connected by underground tunnels and they sit in three clusters within 1 square mile of each other. Because King Lalibela is a saint in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, the people believe that the churches were built by three people: King Lalibela, God and Angels. The historical significance of the King is widely celebrated in Ethiopia, but more specifically in Lalibela. The King was a well traveled man whose divine orders to construct the churches was, in part, due to the distance between the Christians in the horn of Africa and the Holy City of Jerusalem. Many people would make pilgrimages to Jerusalem, but it was difficult due to the distance between the Horn of Africa and current day Israel. So, it is said that King Lalibela constructed these churches and the town as a second Jerusalem that could house pilgrims in this part of the world. 

While of deep historical importance, these churches are not protected like a museum, but rather are as active as the St. Pius X in Brookline, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. People from the town attend their specific church on holy days and other occasions. And for my last tour-guide piece of information, it is important to note that I arrived on Holy Thursday and stayed in the small town through Good Friday, Saturday evening service and Easter Sunday. Most faranjis (white outsiders) that I spoke with said that this was far too much time in such a small town with little to do, but I tend to disagree with the travel mentality of blowing through what seemed like such a fascinating place. True, the motivation of this journey was to see the town, the churches and the history. It is also true that one can do that in just 1.5 days time, but I was also traveling here because I wanted to see the culture that culminated in the Orthodox Easter celebration, and what better town to do it in? 

Religion - The devout nature of the Ethiopian people is unlike anything I have ever seen. I have never committed/dedicated myself to anything (except maybe the Steelers) nearly as much as the people of Lalibela have dedicated themselves to their faith. I arrived Thursday morning, met a fantastic man named Endie who offered to take me around to all the churches and tell me the history for about $12 USD (quite expensive, but the going rate for my own personal guide for the entire day). It is important to note that Endie had lived in Addis, getting his education in Tourism in order to be a formal tour guide for the visitors who come to see the churches of Lalibela. This is the standard practice in Lalibela and the police have cracked down on street kids and un-licensed guides preying on the loads of old European tourists. I digress -  I entered into the first church and observed women and men dressed in all white (it is customary to wear a thin white wrap when going to church) climbing down the steps to the sunken church, blessing themselves four times, touching the wall of the monolithic church, bowing and kissing the front of the building. Bare-foot old women and men with walking sticks climbing down steps - that were more like a rough guide down a mountain - to observe what they believe to be the ultimate truth led me to my next realization: As a general rule of thumb, I decided that taking pictures of people while there were praying or observing the most sacred time of year was not okay with me. From the moment I set foot into the first compound, I quickly realized that this was not my every-day Catholic up-bringing, but something that was much more respected. Lent in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church is observed for 55 days leading up to Easter. The entire country fasts (not as strict in Addis, but in the north of the country it is taken very seriously) for these 55 days, consuming absolutely no animal products, alcohol or indulging in "sins of the flesh" - wink wink - thats right, NO SEX! From Good Friday until 3AM on Sunday morning (when the fast breaks) the truly devout people fast completely - no water, food, and sleeping in the church - praying and chanting all the time. As I told Deacon Alemu (a new friend), if people in the States abstained from alchohol, food and sex for 55 days, I think the end of the fast would bring multiple cases of people's heads exploding. 

The Easter services here begin Saturday evening at 7PM and continue on until 3 AM. Having befriended a Deacon, I was invited to attend service at the famous St. George Church in Lalibela where my friend Deacon Alemu would be leading the chanting all evening. Needless to say I jumped at the opportunity (considering my travel plans - which usually consist of buying a ticket to and from a place - were wide open) and spent my evening (from 9PM to 12:30AM) packed in a small rock-hewn church, standing, chanting and witnessing one of the most amazing cultural displays I have ever seen. All the men and women dressed and wrapped in white, all standing (there are no seats in this small church), chanting, banging huge drums, blowing trumpets and praying together. This is the same way that Easter was celebrated in the 4th century in this country. I stayed for what seemed like three short hours, observing, smiling and enjoying the holiday with the members of the church, priests and deacons. My night culminated in the Candle ceremony, where the Resurrection is celebrated (around 12AM), this consists of everyone in the cramped church lighting a candle, exiting the church in a joyous procession, complete with drums, trumpets and chanting, circling the church and then gathering in the front of the church. Those who have been in the church for the past 2.5 days gather outside in order inform the hundreds of people who have been sitting in different nooks and caves carved into the rock that the Resurrection has happened. There is not enough room in the church for the many pilgrims coming from the country side, so the grounds of all the 11 churches are swarmed with devout pilgrims who can be seen praying, sleeping or quietly chatting in anticipation of Easter.  It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and one that can only happen while traveling with an open mind and no concrete plan - In most cases, I have found that there is beauty in chaos - case in point. 

Community - While in Lalibela, and due to my decision to make an extended stay, I tripped across two distinct communities: the Local community and the Traveler's community. First, the local community in Lalibela. It is important to characterize this community as the people who live and work in Lalibela. Many of these people are quite poor by Western standards and a good chunk of them work in the tourist industry. My first day I met a man named Endie who was a certified tour guide of the churches, he was surprised to find out that I was staying in Lalibela for such an extended period of time (as most faranjis blow in and blow out in two days time). Following an amazing tour (Thursday), he invited me to celebrate Easter at his home with his family on Sunday. The same day I wondered around town, found a local pool table in a dive restaurant and met a kid named Beke. Beke was hell bent on me seeing where he stayed and going to his home for traditional coffee ceremony. This is quite customary for this country, you meet someone and within a matter of hours they open their home and family to you, it is a concept that seems a bit foreign to me and most travelers. Come Easter Sunday, I was up early in the morning and over the course of the day I visited 4 different families (all locals I had met in Lalibela) for Doro Wat (chicken and spice), Tibs (goat meet with spice), coffee, and local beer. I had to decline invitations to other homes because there was not enough time in the day. I went from small mud house to small mud house eating, chatting, and celebrating as if I had known these people my entire life. Homes were opened to me and food was served as if I was a starving traveler who needed saving. The food was damn good and I even tried raw goat liver which turned out to not be that bad. It is hard to put into words the kind of welcoming and hospitality that I experienced while in this beautiful place.

The second community I mentioned was that of the Traveler. Because Ethiopia does not see too many backpackers/travelers, many of the people that you do meet on holiday or sight-seeing here are fantastic. It is also conducive to solo travelers. The first day I spent a ton of time with three Finish girls who were coming through Lalibela, the second day I met two Americans and one British guy. I spent a ton of time with an Irish girl who had just come to Ethiopia for holiday for one month. These people had amazing stories to share and, like me, they never shied away from great conversation, local food or local tradition. They all had amazing stories to share, amazing places they have lived, traveled or worked and funny anecdotes for us to drink beers by. The beauty of this town and this trip was that the traveler community and the local community have integrated quite well in this town. The locals accept the value in having tourists come through, and they also embrace the diversity of people who call their town home for a few nights. I was amazed at the willingness of both travelers and locals to talk, eat and learn from each other. It is quite a beautiful thing (sappy, I know), but an aspect of this experience that should not go unmentioned. Again, I have much more to say on this topic, but it is difficult to put into words, I am hoping this captures it. 

In other news - Arielle has arrived safe and sound in Addis, she is doing great and it has been amazing to see her and share my new life with her as well. We are traveling to Bahir Dar this weekend for touring and hopefully much of the same as I found in Lalibela. I hope this blog provides some insight into not only my life here, but Ethiopian culture and the beauty that these people represent. Stay tuned for more.

Here are some photos from my trip:

Me in one of the Baptismal Pools

Getting ready to enter mysterious Door Number 1

Outdoor Chanting on Holy Thursday

The Famous St. George Church - Holy Thursday - A view from the top

Traveler friend Saana at the top of St. George Church

One of the Churches carved into the rock

Beke in his home after Coffee 

Sun Breaking through after heavy rain, Lalibela town

Me and Deacon Alemu - Easter Sunday

Too much meat to cook at once

Endie and Me celebrating Easter with just one beer ;)