The story
Meskel Adigrat in Adigrat
Adigrat's own Demera bonfire, lit each September 27, follows the same Meskel tradition observed at Addis Ababa's larger Meskel Square gathering, commemorating Empress Helena's vision leading to the discovery of the True Cross. Daisy-decorated poles are burned at dusk before local crowds, in a town whose own deep Ethiopian Orthodox heritage gives the observance particular regional resonance in Tigray.
Adigrat, a major town in eastern Tigray, lights its own Demera bonfire each September 27 alongside the much larger gathering at Meskel Square in Addis Ababa, following the same core ritual that commemorates Empress Helena's vision leading to the discovery of Christ's True Cross.