#WKNDTravel: The magic of Addis Ababa

Besides stunning landscapes, remains of ancient civilisations and a maze of rock-hewn churches, a major drawcard of Ethiopia is its age-old culture and traditions. It’s best experienced when travelling there during festival time.

I sense this when exploring its capital city Addis Ababa.

Ethiopia is one of the planet’s oldest countries, Addis Ababa meaning ‘New Flower’ in local dialect is relatively new. It was established in the late 19th century by Emperor Menelik II as the nation’s new capital. Today, this thriving settlement is the continent’s fourth-largest and the gateway to an ancient and mystical world.

Love at first sight is a misfit for this city; a creepy mix of old and new shrouded by a dusty environment welcomes when I step out to share street-space with seven million people. The surrounding crowd, chaos and cacophony initially makes me feel uncanny but once I set my bearings right with the city’s character and style, charm oozes from the locals and their traditions. Despite lots of surrounding impoverishes, I discover a kind of joyous life in full bloom hiding underneath the city’s skin.

Traditions are an integral part of Ethiopian life, so celebrating New Year’s Day on September 12 means following longstanding rituals with friends and family, like wearing white costumes woven with borders, sipping specially brewed coffee while sitting on a makeshift mattress made with dried grass and yellow bush flowers that blossom only in September and eating stewed chicken or lamb, the animals slaughtered earlier in the morning by the eldest of the family.

The preparations for the most coveted occasion of the year becomes absolute madness on the New Year’s Eve when almost everyone seems to be out in the streets for last-minute shopping and some socialising as well.

While cafes, restaurants and bars are overcrowded, live chooks and sheep are being sold in every nook and corner of the city. At a crowded stall, I interestingly watch how a guy, after buying a sheep, ties the poor animal to the roof of his dilapidated Lada, some of these old Russian cars still on road as memoirs of Ethiopia’s brief empathy with the Red-Flag culture. While footpaths are spilling over with temporary stalls selling fruits, vegetables, food items and stacks of that long grass and yellow flowers, long queues are noticeable outside shops selling clothes, shoes, toys and other household items. Music, laughter, cries and loud calls from the vendors make the atmosphere lively.

“Even in the 21st century, we still have a strong attachment to most of our old cultures and traditions,” says my chauffeur and guide, while taking a break from our exploration at a café near the heavily crowded Addis Merkato — Africa’s biggest marketplace where it’s possible to find everything — from electronics, furniture clothing, spices, food items and groceries to an array of second-hand goods. Plaiting in multi directions for kilometres, it’s surely a site to explore but require nerves of steel to wade through the sea of human bodies, particularly during a major festival time. So, I choose to watch the high energy activities from the sidelines and gather knowledge from Bele about their culture, calendar and history — with Ethiopia being the only country in Africa to escape European colonialism.

wknd@khaleejtimes.com