Meskel Axum

Axum's own Demera bonfire, lit each September 27, follows the nationwide Meskel tradition commemorating the discovery of the True Cross, set against the city's ancient stelae fields and the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion. Daisy-decorated poles are burned at dusk before local crowds, drawing on Axum's especially deep historical ties to Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity.

Axum lights its own Demera bonfire each September 27 in front of crowds gathered at a central public space in the ancient city, following the nationwide Meskel tradition commemorating Empress Helena's vision leading to the discovery of Christ's True Cross, with a specific local resonance given Axum's own deep historical ties to Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity dating to the fourth-century Aksumite conversion.