Meskerem & Maskal:
Universal Ethiopian Happenings
by Whirlwind Storm

In his celebrated thesis on African Fundamentalism, the Right Excellent Marcus Garvey teaches us that "The time has come for the Negro to forget and cast behind him his worship and adoration of other races, and to start out immediately to create and emulate his own. We must canonize our own saints, create our own martyrs... We must inspire a literature and promulgate a doctrine of our own without any apologies to the powers that be. The right is ours and God's. Remember we live, work and pray for the establishment of a great and binding racial hierarchy, the founding of a racial empire whose only natural, spiritual, and political limits shall be God and "Africa, at home and abroad".

Recently I had the pleasure of participating in this 'living philosophy' under the auspies of various divisions of the Universal Negro Improvement Association & African Communities League. On September 11th 2003, the New York Division of the UNIA-ACL celebrated the Ethiopian New Year "Addis Alem" with a dinner held at the African Orthdox Church in Harlem. By the Ethiopian calendar the date was Meskerem 1st 1996. Patrons were treated to a sumptuous feast prepared in the traditional Ethiopian Manner and catered by the ladies of the Black Cross Society. Visitors from Ethiopia who were present requested to meet the chef who they assumed was from Ethiopia. Needless to say they found that the 'good ole home cooking' was done by none other than the women of the Division who, though born in America, art truly daughters of our ancient empire. I must also make mention of the fabulous performances we were treated to by Jahiti, who presented "Keep Cool" the music of Marcus Garvey, and Ron-Bobb Semple who is acclaimed for his performance of the "Spirit of Marcus Garvey".

The Ethiopian calendar which is 7 years behind the western calendar begins with the month of Meskerem (September). So in the spirit of the new year I joined members of the Washington D.C. (Banneker) Division of the UNIA-ACL for a church service at St. Simon Cyrenian African Orthodox Church in Suitland, MD on September 20th. The Reverend Father Salisbury conducted a wonderful service and I was especially impressed by the Church's use of Ethiopian paraphernalia. The congregation was treated to a serving of Dabbo (Ethiopian bread) in the true communal fashion of Africans. Indeed, the Patriarch of the AOC and first Chaplain-General of the UNIA, George Alexander McQuire would be proud.

Meskerem is also the month in which Ethiopians celebrate Maskal (September 27th), the day of the Holy Cross. On this occassion the Baltimore Division of the UNIA-ACL held a dinner party also catered by that division's Black Cross Society. Having been impressed by the New York Division's tenacity in making their own injera (a traditional Ethiopian bread), Baltimore, not to be out done, served their own home made Tej (the traditional Ethiopian honey wine). Indeed, the legacy of Garvey lives on as his millions of converts continue to uphold the credo of African Fundamentalism.

To put the finishing touches on an extraordinary month of culture, I celebrated Maskal in the traditional manner with the members of the Jamaican Division of the UNIA-ACL at a church service held at the Ethiopian Orthodox (Tewahedo) Church in Kingston. Below, I have copied a brief History of Maskal as outlined in their program for service on that day. We are indebted to the work of the Universal Negro Improvement Association & African Communities League in keeping the torch lit so that we scattered Ethiopians may find our way home. "Africa for the Africans, those at home and those abroad!"

History of Maskal (Day of the Holy Cross)
Maskal is celebrated on Meskerem 17th (September 27th) and on Megabit 10th (March 19th). The word "maskal" means cross, and the feast commemorates the finding of the true cross by St. Helena. The story in brief is that after the crucifixion of the Lord, the sick were healed by touching it and rubbing their bodies against the Cross. Attracted by these miracles, many became Christians. Seeing this, the Jews threw the Cross into a rubbish disposal pit and after a long time this place grew into a hill. Christians knew the area despite their inability to dig out and retrieve the Cross.

During the invasion of Titus, (70 A.D.) all Cristians left Jerusalem and long after the site of the city was changed. It became difficult to locate the place where the Cross was buried. Because of this it remained buried for more than 300 years.

In the 4th century, (327 A.D.) the mother of King Constantine, Queen Helena made a trip to Jerusalem to find the Cross. However, she could not find the site at which it was buried for no one could tell her the exact location. By God's will, a certain old man by the name of Kiriakos sympathized with her research and advised her as follows, "You need not tire out yourself and others in vain. Make people gather wood and pile it. Put incense on it and burn it. Following where the smoke drift, dig and you will find the Cross". She did all she was told and following the smoke as it rose upward and bowed down indicating the site where the Holy Cross was buried, Helena began digging on Megabit 10th (March 19th). On Meskerem 17th (Septmeber 27th) she found the Cross.

Sometime after this in a show a Christian solidarity, the right arm of the Cross was delivered to the Emperor and Empress of Ethiopia. It remains today in the monastery and church of Mariam atop the mountain (Amba)Gishen in the Wollo province. In Ethiopia Maskal is celebrated with great spiritual feeling and traditional sentiments. Bundles of woods called Demera are lit and encircled by huge processions led by priests dancing and singing in celebration of the finding of the True Cross.