Meskel Demera

Addis Ababa's Meskel Square, named for the festival itself, hosts a towering bonfire, the Demera, lit each September 27 to commemorate Empress Helena's vision leading to the discovery of Christ's True Cross. UNESCO-listed since 2013, the ceremony includes daisy-decorated wooden poles, folk readings of the fire's collapse pattern, and the following morning's tradition of marking foreheads with collected charcoal.

Meskel Square in Addis Ababa, named directly for the festival it hosts, fills each September 27 with a towering bonfire, the Demera, built from long wooden poles decorated with yellow Meskel daisies and lit at dusk before a crowd of religious and civic leaders, clergy and the general public in a ceremony UNESCO inscribed as intangible cultural heritage in 2013.