Home

December brings Ethiopians to Melbourne

By Eskias Mengistie

 MELBOURNE - Many of the roughly 20,000 Ethiopians living in Australia headed for Melbourne in the last week of December for their annual cultural festival and soccer tournament.

This city also hosts the other main cultural item for Ethiopian-Australians, New Year Celebrations which, according to the ancient Ethiopian way of tracking time, falls on September 11 each year except in a leap year when it is September 12. The unique Ethiopian calendar runs eight years behind the Roman (western) calendar.
 
The week-long December event provided a showcase for the sporting prowess and many cultural talents of youth in the Ethiopian community.
 
 
Ethiopians excel in athletics, particularly running over the long distance events -- 5,000 metres, 10,000 metres and the marathon. The country’s most celebrated athlete, Ababe Bikila, ran in bare feet to win the 42km marathon at the Rome Olympics in 1960 and made history with his back-to-back victory for another gold medal four years later.
 
The nation’s current champion is the formidable Haile Gebreselassie. In his 17 years on the international athletic circuit, Gebreselassie has broken 27 world records while winning 14 races over 10,000 metres, 11 events over 5,000 metres an d winning the marathon five times since 1991.
 
He is regarded as the greatest distance runner in history and currently is the fastest marathon runner in the world after winning his third consecutive Berlin Marathon this year.
 
Although Ethiopians started coming to Australia in the 1960’s, according to latest census figures, of the 20,000 Ethiopians now in Australia, only 5,633 were born in Ethiopia.
 
Ethiopia has a population of more than 80 million, comprised of more than 70 ethnic groups - all possessing respective languages and traditions - which provides the country with a cohesive blend of diverse cultures.
 
Archeological findings of hominid fossils in the country have been carbon-dated to 3.2 million years ago, leading scientists to label Ethiopia “the cradle of mankind.” It is the only African country never to have been colonized and the Kings and Queens who ruled the country until Emperor Haile Selassie was deposed in 1974 are traced back to biblical times of Solomon and Sheba.
 
One of the most striking similarities between cultural celebrations in Ethiopia and celebrations of a similar magnitude by Ethiopians in Australia, can be seen during church rituals at the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in the Melbourne suburb of Maribyrnong.
 
The church holds weekly services as well as annual festivities which include Ethiopian Christmas celebrations on January 7, Epiphany on January 19 and the Finding of the True Cross on September 27.
 
These celebrations and the New Year festival draw large crowds of Ethiopians -- dressed in traditional white garments, tinged with the national Ethiopian colours of red, green and gold -- and non-Ethiopians.
 
There is tradional hot and spicy Ethiopian food available, Ethiopian dancing and it is now a tradition for a popular Ethiopian singer to come to Melbourne to entertain the crowds.
 

All combine to provide a true Ethiopian cultural presence in Australia.