Thousands gather in Ethiopia’s capital to celebrate a religious festival. Many are thinking of peace

Associated Press

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Thousands of Ethiopians have gathered in the capital city to celebrate an annual religious festival distinguished by the lighting of bonfires according to the beliefs of the local Orthodox Christian faithful. National celebrations of the festival, known as Meskel, traditionally happen in a square by the same name in Addis Ababa. It is one of Ethiopia’s most celebrated religious holidays, marked with rituals and merriment across the country. In celebrations of Meskel — a word in the local Amharic language for “cross” — bonfires are burned across the country. In Meskel square, the patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church lit a large one in the presence of thousands of believers in white costumes.