Ethiopia+Culture


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**Ethiopian Culture ** **Religion:** Ethiopia is home to the oldest church in sub-Sahara Africa. The church is known as the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Orthodox Christianity became the official religion during the monarchy period but due to the spread of Islam, the church was severed and now it takes on many different characteristics. The church claims to have the original Ark of the Covenant. Replicas of the Ark known as tabotat are found in the central sanctuary of every Orthodox Church in the country. The tabot, as it is called, is what consecrates the church or makes it holy. They are the only church to reject Pauline Christianity, which happens to reject the idea of the Old Testament covenant losing its hold on Christians once Jesus Christ came. The church follows the dietary laws that are close to the kosher tradition, circumcision laws, and the Sabbath Day. Judaism used to be a major religion in Ethiopia, but now most Ethiopian Jews known as Beta Israel live in Israel. since the 8th Century, Islam has become a significant religion but they have also been seen as hostile due to the dominance of Christianity. Some polytheistic, or religions with many gods, are found in the lowlands. the leader of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church is known as the Patriarch or Pope. They have many categories of clergy such as, priests, deacons, monks, and lay-priests. [|Ethiopian Culture]

**Societal Expectations:** Ethiopia has 4 main social groups. They are the high-ranking lineages, low-ranking lineages, caste groups, and slaves or descendants of slaves. In urban areas, your career determines your class with a lawyer being high class and a metal working being lower class. For rural areas, the amount of grain or cattle a person owns determines your class. Many other areas help to determine class such as, wealth like owning an automobile, educations, and where one lives. They follow the typical gender roles of males being head of the household and in charge of the outdoor work and females being in charge of the domestic side of the household. In urban areas, gender is more equal with women working outside of the home than those who live in a rural area. At home however, gender inequality is prevalent as well as in school with education being emphasized for boys and less emphasized for girls.

Marriage and family vary by ethnic group but many traditions reach across all ethnic groups. Arranged marriages are the norm and a dowry is still a common practice. Families are large with three or more generations living in one house because the children are required to take care of their parents. Children are not just raised by their parents, instead the whole family and community are involved in raising children.

Before eating it is customary to wash hands before because in Ethiopia everyone eats with their hands. When having a guest over, the guest initiates the eating begins. A polite way to handle one's self at the table is to carry on a light conversation. Concentrating on your food is considered rude. [|Ethiopian Culture]

**Greetings:** Greetings come in the form of multiple kisses on the cheek and a number of pleasantries being exchanged. The elderly are treated with great respect and when they enter a room everyone stands until they have seated themselves. [|Ethiopian Culture]

**Traditional Dress:** Women make their clothes from a cloth called shemma. The garments that they wear are called habesha qemis. The garments are basically many strips of cloth sewn together. To make them more elegant, shiny threads are woven into the cloth. The bottom of the garments are decorated with elaborate patterns on the cloth. The rest of the garment is usually white. Bracelets and necklaces made of silver and gold complete the clothing for women. Men wear pants with a knee-length shirt that has a white collar. Both men and women wear shawls over their garments. [|Wikipedia] 



**Language:** There are around 86 known indigenous languages. Eighty-two of them are still spoken and 4 of them have become extinct. They can all be grouped into three families though: Afro-Asiatic super language family, Nilo-Sharan super language family, and the official language of Amharic. English is also spoken very widely and one will find on occasion some French and Italian. [|Ethiopian Culture]

**National Holidays:** There are many religious holidays but there are a few national holidays as well. One is held on September 11 known as Ethiopia's New Year's Day. A second is Victory Day of Adwa held on 2 March and a third is Labor Day held on May 1. [|Ethiopian Culture]

**Education:** Children are reared by their mothers and the females of the family and community. Around age 5 however, children begin school if their family can afford it. Those who live in rural areas attend school less than those in urban areas. Females also attend less than males due to discrimination. If a child does well in elementary school, they move on to secondary school where they can attend either a government school or a missionary school. Many try to attend a missionary school if possible however, they do require a fee. Attending a university is free, but the competition is stiff. Secondary students take a standardized exam to get in and even after the the test only about 20% of those students are accepted. [|Ethiopian Culture]

**Literature:** Much of the literature is religious however, due to the language it has been translated into only those of the church know how to read it. Literature in Ethiopia can be put into three categories: classical literature, heroic poetry, and works of philosophical reflection. Religious material such as the Holy Bible and hymns fall under the classical literature category. They are generally translated into Ge'ez, which is one of the oldest languages and is therefore used only among those in the church and making it hard for the common man. <span style="background-color: #e2e2e2; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">[|Cambridge Histories]

<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">**Art:** The style of art in Ethiopia has not really changed over many centuries. Pictures are simple and figures are drawn two-dimensionally. Many times the art almost looks like a cartoon. The art however, serves an important purpose in the church. Stories are told through the art to teach those who are not educated. This is done <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 130%;"> through simple pictures. One major name in Ethiopian art is Afework Tekle. [|Ethiopian Art]

<span style="background-color: #e2e2e2; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">**Music:** Music in Ethiopia is a part of everyday life. Minstrels go about playing the single-stringed masenko and making up their own verses on the spot. Shepard boys can be seen playing the washint, which is a reed flute playable with one hand. Folk songs are generally sung and played at festivals and other joyous occasions such as weddings. Other instruments used to make music are the krar that looks similar to a lyre and has 5 to 6 strings and is played by plucking the strings. The begenna is a small harp that is easily moved from place to place. <span style="background-color: #e2e2e2; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">[|Ethiopian Music]



<span style="background-color: #e2e2e2; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">Christian music is thought to have started in the 6th Century and is sung in Ge'ez. Two instruments assist in playing and singing religious music. The first is the kabaro or a drum make of wood and animal hide. The second is the masinqo, which is a single-stringed violin. <span style="background-color: #e2e2e2; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">[|Ethiopian Culture]

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<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">**Sports:** The most common sports found in Ethiopia are track and field. Many medals have been won by Ethiopians in track and field at the Olympic Games. [|Ethiopian Sports]

<span style="background-color: #e2e2e2; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">**Food:** Ethiopians eat foods with a unique blend of spices. They eat grains such as millet, orghum, wheat, and ancient tiff. Some of their cooking components are berbere, which is a spicy red pepper paste. Another component is niter kibbeh, which is a spice infused clarified butter and a third component is injera, a sourdough pancake-like bread. Most of their dishes have a stew like consistency, which is a thick kind of soup. <span style="background-color: #e2e2e2; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">[|Ethiopian Food] <span style="background-color: #e2e2e2; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif; font-size: 130%;">

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