Millions of Ethiopian Christians gathered for Meskel, which commemorates the discovery of the True Cross, while fighting between government troops and forces loyal to the Tigray People's Liberation Front continued in Tigray and spilled into Amhara and Afar.
Meskel also marks the end of Ethiopia’s rainy season and the start of spring. The two-day feast is observed on Sept. 27 and 28; in Addis Ababa, thousands gathered in Meskel Square for prayers before a large bonfire was lit.
Kibrom Yohannes, who traveled from Denmark hoping to celebrate with family in Adigrat, said his flight was canceled after fighting erupted. He instead celebrated in Welkite, worried about his elderly mother, wife and extended family in Tigray; he said he had brought diabetes medication for his mother. Many Ethiopians prayed for peace amid renewed fears of war; the Tigray war ended in 2022 after killing thousands and displacing more than a million people.
