Wearing White

At 6 am I heard a boy say “Hannah? Nay!” A teenage boy was outside my door, explaining that I needed to come quickly.  After locking my door, I navigated down slippery rocks and mud (wearing Toms with zero traction) to the main road, where a bus was driving past, a cloud of dust trailing behind.  The boy I was with ran ahead of me and managed to flag down the bus, and I soon followed and got on the bus; I barely could fit, as it was literally packed with people, dressed in white from head to toe, ready to celebrate Saint Mary together.  I managed to squeeze through the crowd and sat on a makeshift seat, trying not to worry about getting my completely white dress and net’ela (traditional white scarf) dirty.  I saw several familiar faces on the bus, and after greeting them I settled in/held on for the ride ahead.  As the sun rose, the bus navigated and maneuvered along the winding road, which was filled with new potholes and mud, due to the torrential rain the night before.  The 50+ people on the bus swayed and moved with the bumps and turns, as the morning fog surrounded both sides of the winding road.

After a 90-minute ride, we began to get close to our destination.  I knew this because I saw hundreds of busses and cars lining the road, and people, dressed in white, walking alongside the road.  

The road lined with busses and people, surrounded by a beautiful blue sky!

As we exited the bus, the celebration certainly had begun; velvet and colorful umbrellas were being used and others were being sold; families, men, women, and children of all ages were walking through the extremely muddy road, as others sat in small restaurants lining the road, eating bread and tea for breakfast.  With the six other women from Mezezo that I was with, I ate breakfast and then we proceeded toward the church. 

A religious leader leading a call and response 

    

There were thousands and thousands of people, and as we approached the church, I saw the massive portrait/picture of Saint Mary, bordered by red, green, and yellow (Ethiopian flag colors) balloons, and the mesmur (religious singing/chanting) began.  As I am learning more Amharic, I was able to pick out some words from the singing and chanting and was able to participate; it was so powerful! Everyone was extremely passionate and happy, as they did a call and response like religious chant, complete with drumming and clapping. 

The famous church, with decorations to celebrate Saint Mary.
You can see the reconstruction that is being done, at the rear of the church.

This celebration of Saint Mary was held at a church that was build more than 4 centuries ago! There is so much history behind it and it was incredible to be a part of this celebration.  My all-white dress certainly was a bit tinted with a shade of brown by the time I returned to Mezezo in the afternoon, but more importantly I felt full from this experience that I was able to share with some women from my community and also thousands of people from the larger Ethiopian community.  You know the saying “Don’t wear white after labor day?”  Well that doesn’t hold true here…

Enjoying the celebration together, wearing white!