Why Orthodox Christians invoke ‘easterly bonfires’ prayers

Orthodox Christians in Ethiopia and Eritrea are getting ready to celebrate a yearly religious holiday called Meskel. This holiday commemorates the discovery of the cross that Jesus was crucified on.

In simple words, the Orthodox Church teaches that St Helena, who was the mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine in the 4th Century, used a special incense called frankincense to light a big fire. The smoke from this fire showed her where the cross had been buried in Jerusalem.

After finding it, she made a larger fire called a “damera” in Ethiopia and Eritrea to let her son know that she had found the cross.

Different versions of this story claim that the first bonfire was extremely large and fell over to one side. This happened right where the cross was buried.

Today, in Ethiopia and Eritrea, people are making bonfires using long sticks as part of the traditional Meskel events.

The direction in which the burning wood falls has special meaning. If it falls towards the east, it’s a good sign for the next year. But if it falls towards the west, it’s a bad sign and warns of danger in the future.

If the bonfire stays upright or goes either north or south, nothing will change or improve.

In a place affected by fighting and lack of water, many Orthodox followers are eager to see how this year’s dameras fall.

In the past, people have heard stories about dishonest authorities attempting to control how the sticks fall.

For instance, in the past, when Eritrea was a part of Ethiopia, some people recall how the government officials of the former Ethiopian ruler Mengistu Hailemariam meddled with the religious leaders whose responsibility was to plan and manage the occasion.

They wanted the damage in Asmara, the capital of Eritrea, to happen on the eastern side. They were afraid that if it happened in the western side, people would think it was because the Derg, which was Mengistu’s old military government, fell.

His government was overthrown with violence in 1991 – after 18 instances of firing weapons.

In Ethiopia, they light the main bonfire in the capital city, Addis Ababa, the day before Meskel. This year, it will be on Wednesday evening. In Eritrea, they light the main bonfire on the actual day of Meskel.