Fun Facts about Ethiopia? Well, Ethiopia is Africa’s oldest independent country found on the horn of Africa. The capital is Addis Ababa meaning new flower in Amharic, the language the majority of Ethiopians speak, located at the geographic center of the country.
Ethiopia is one of the world’s oldest countries, its territorial extent having varied over the millennia of its exis- tence. In ancient times it remained centered on Aksum, an imperial capital located in the northern part of the modern state, about 100 miles (160 km) from the Red Sea coast.
The present territory was consolidated during the 19th and 20th centuries as European powers encroached into Ethiopia’s historical domain. Ethiopia has a unique heritage, being the home of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church – one of the oldest Christian denominations – and monarchy that ended only in the coup of 1974.
It became prominent in modern world affairs first in 1896, when it defeated colonial Italy in the Battle of Adwa, and again in 1935–36, when Ethiopia was invaded and occupied by fascist Italy. It served as a symbol of African independence throughout the colonial period and was a founder member of the United Nations and the African base for many international organizations. So here are 10 amazing fun facts about Ethiopia you will surely enjoy.
Fun Facts About Ethiopia: 10 Thirteen Months
Unlike the rest of the world Ethiopia has 13 months to a year. It all started several thousand years ago as Ethio- pians cottoned on to Spinal Tap’s belief that one more is always better and have been counting 13 months ever since.
And this means 2018 to the rest of the world is 2011 in Ethiopia. But that does profit tourism by legitimately claiming the country has 13 months of sunshine.
- Today Ethiopian Calendar
- The Ethiopian Calendar – the origin and the principle
- Ethiopia calendar behind the rest of the world, and 3 tips
Fun Facts About Ethiopia: Discovery of Coffee
Did you know that Coffee was first discovered by an Ethiopian goat herder named Kaldi in the Kaffa region, from which the word “coffee” was derived when he noticed his goats “dancing” after eating the berries of the coffee plant?
Today, it is estimated that four out of five Americans drink coffee at least once a day. Coffee is the top agricultural export in 12 countries, with the livelihood of over 100 million people depending on its production, and it is the world’s second most valuable commodity after petroleum.
- 5 Best ways to Make Ethiopian Coffee at Home.
- Ethiopia Coffee Hack- A Concise guide (and 12 questions answered)
Fun Facts About Ethiopia: Birth of Rastafarianism
Most people assume that the birth place of Rastafari movement is in Jamaica, but it was the then Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie who inspired the religion. In Amharic the native language in Ethiopia ‘ras’ is a title similar to chief, and ‘tafari’ the first name of Emperor Haile Selassie – essentially the movement suggests Selassie as an incarnation of God.
Ethiopians are proud of their former ruler’s supposed status as Jesus incarnate and some have adopted the dress and lifestyle habits of their Jamaican counterparts. Plus, just check the colors of the Ethiopian (Green, Yellow, and Red) flag to find their similarities. Although the Rastafari movement did evolve in Jamaica, it began in Ethiopia.
Fun Facts About Ethiopia: Ethiopia in ancient religious books
Ethiopia is one of the few countries mentioned in the Bible, the Koran, Homer’s Odyssey, and many other an- cient books.
The word Ethiopia appears in the king James Bible version 45 times. When the word Ethiopia is used in the bible, it mostly refers to the land south of Egypt.
And it is one of the few countries consistently mentioned in the Bible, the Koran, Homer’s Odyssey, and many other ancient books.
Fun Facts About Ethiopia: The Scenic Landscape
Ethiopia is home to many fantastic scenes sure to amaze all ecological researchers. A unique country with many facinating sites to see. The scene is varied and seamlessly green and beautiful with many wonderful geological features such as Dallol Depression (one of the lowest depressions in the world), the Erta ale Active Volcano, Sof Omar Cave, the Great East Africa Rift Valley, Blue Nile Gorge and others.
The country landscape gets as high as 4000 meters above sea level and as low as 500 meters below the sea level. The place has one of the hottest and the coldest places in a few kilometres apart.
Fun Facts About Ethiopia: Mankind’s origin
Another amazing fact about Ethiopia is that Several archaeological findings suggest that the country is the cradle of mankind. In 1972, Donald Johansson and Tim D. White discovered Lucy, a 3.2-million-year-old hominid skeleton.
For years Lucy had all the attention, embarking on a nine-year worldwide tour and being well renown. Then there came Ardi found in the same region but is older than Lucy. So, Ethiopia is believed to have marked an important transition period from the early Hominids to the likes of us.
Fun Facts About Ethiopia: Never been Colonized
Ethiopia is one of the two African countries to never be colonised, the second being Liberia. But it wasn’t for lack of trying. The Italians had tried to colonize the country twice and failed.
But the Italians did have a military occupation of the country for 5 years but, the Ethiopian forces were waging military opposition the entire time and the whole country was never brought under control. As some of the locals put it, “we waited until they had built us railways and nice buildings… and then kicked them out.”
Fun Facts About Ethiopia: Abebe Bikila Bare Feet Winner
Ethiopian distance runner Abebe Bikila was the first black African to win the gold medal in the Olympic Mar- athon not once but twice which made him the first person. At a time when Africans or generally blacks were looked down he rose to the occasion and won gold for the first time which is a hard thing to do because there were no black idols to look up to at that time.
When asked at the end of the race if he was tired he replied that he could have done another 10 kilometers which tells a lot about the person and don’t forget he run the race barefoot which again is a difficult thing to do.
Today, Many athletes including Haile Gebre Selassie and Fatuma Roba have made history in their own respective fields and continued the legacy.
Fun Facts About Ethiopia: Place of The True Cross
Hidden many times and then rediscovered chopped into pieces and dispersed, the precious relic has taken many journeys. But, according to legend, the True Cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified, was found by St. Hel- ena—the mother of Constantine the Great, the Roman Emperor who converted to Christianity—in the 4th century.
A relic of that cross was later given to Ethiopia’s kings for protecting Coptic Christians in their country. Meskel celebrates the arrival of the True Cross in Ethiopia and has been celebrated there for more than 1,600 years.
Today this day is celebrated once a year with colorful cloths and in groups. The days is much beautiful if you celebrate it in Lalibela and Axum, religious towns.
Meskel Ethiopian Holiday (Finding of the true cross) is one of Ethiopian orthodox major holiday and celebrated for two days at the beginning of September 26th this holiday celebrated in the colorful and large festivity.
It does have two occasions the first one held on the eve of Meskel Ethiopian Holiday called Damera to celebrate in huge religion festivity in the main city of Ethiopia Addis Ababa large rare fire built at Meskel Adebabaye, a place where most annual celebrations event occurs, then the patriarch of Orthodox Church expected to lighten the bonfire right after they are blessed.
The quires from different Churches sing spiritual songs and the priest with full of colorful ceremonial cloths also perform Songs around the bonfire, while other priests are seen with traditional umbrellas which they used in churches, music instruments like drums and “Tsinatel” and ornate crosses.
The memorial of this celebration goes to Jerusalem that st Helena was advised to light a fire which by then uses the direction of the smoke to point the place where the cross buried.
Ethiopian Holiday
Fun Facts About Ethiopia: Place of The Ark of Covenant
If you know that Steven Spielberg movie Indiana Jones: The Raiders of the lost Ark which presumably thought The Ark of Covenant was found in Egypt you would know that it’s wrong and actually the ark is found in Ethi- opia.
The Ark of the Covenant containing the Ten Commandments vanishes from Jerusalem and is said to have been taken to Ethiopia. Aksum, in Ethiopia, is famous as a claimant to the final resting place of the Ark of the Covenant, the chest containing the 10 commandments God gave to Moses, and the standing obelisk, which is 75 feet (23 m) high. With windows and doors, which look like the world’s first skyscraper.
Finally, Fun Facts About Ethiopia
Fun Facts about Ethiopia is not limited to culture and the past. The country is growing at a fast rate and the people are changing shaping culture and tradition. The Fun Facts about Ethiopia I learned are the basics of the country that a simple tourist could find out on the first visit. This time the country is getting small tourist traffic, less than 1million, compared to other countries in Africa.
However, the country has rich culture that you need access and visit to understand. The religion is a culture and it shaped the past of the country’s architecture and lifestyle.
Places such as lalibela are the resutlt of this. The religon dominance on the life of the people pushed people to create an extraordinary architecture that UNESCO considers to be on top 10 list of preserved places in the world.
10 surprising Fun facts about Ethiopia
