Borkena
Toronto – The Ethiopian Community in Toronto is another step closer to get September designated as Ethiopian Heritage Month.
Doly Begum, member of Provincial Parliament for Scarborough South, this week introduced the bill to the Parliament. Kristyn Wong-Tam, Member of Provincial Parliament for Toronto Center, joined her in support of the bill.
In a ceremony organized at the provincial parliament, leaders of the Ethiopian Association in GTA, from faith groups in the community and other notable figures in the community attended a ceremony at Queens park.
The leaders see a meaning and significance for the Ethiopian community if the month of September is designated in the province as “Ethiopian Heritage month.” Some of the leaders were speaking emotionally about it, as seen in the video below. It seems the cause has got a strong backing from the MPPs mentioned above.
For students across Ethiopia September is not just a back to school time. The month is important for at least three other reasons. The Ethiopian New Year- Enkuratash – falls on September 11 except in when it is leap year in which case it is moved to September 12. From the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church religious tradition perspective, the new Year is named as “Kidus Yohannes.” – a reference to John the Baptist.
September also represents a special time of the year for Christian community due to Meskel Holiday – which UNESCO inscribed in “the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity” in 2013. The Holiday Commemoration feast of the finding of the True Holy Cross of Christ and attracts tens of thousands of tourists to Ethiopia every year.
Meskel Holiday also features strong cultural expressions for many language groups in Southern parts of Ethiopia. It is a holiday that no family member affords to skip even when they live and work in other parts of Ethiopia – especially in the ethnic Guraghe community.
Recently the month of September is also becoming popular for the celebration of traditional ethnic Oromo religious holiday – Irreecha. With apparent support from government and community activists, it is now morphing into a “Thanks giving Day” – and has started to attract hundreds of thousands of ethnic Oromos to the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. Erstwhile, especially before Abiy Ahmed became Prime Minister, it was celebrated in Bishoftu (Debre Zeit). This holiday which is celebrated towards the end of September has a significance for the ethnic Oromo communities.
Clearly, September has cultural and religious significance for Ethiopians in Ethiopia. And there are signs that the Ethiopian community in Toronto is closer to getting a proclamation for its designation as Ethiopian Heritage month. Ontario is home to tens of thousands of Ethiopians and Ethiopian-Canadians.
Watch the embedded video below to hear remarks from MPP Doly Begum, Kristyn Wong-Tam and Ethiopian Community leaders. Share your views in the comment section.
Cover photo : screenshot from video
Editor’s Note : Want to feature your local Ethiopian community group? Send us your stories of achievements or inspiring initiatives at info@borkena.com
__
Join our Telegram Channel : t.me/borkena
Like borkena on Facebook
Add your business to Ethiopian Business Listing / Ethiopian Business Directory
Ethiopian Community
Join the conversation. Follow us on X (Formerly Twitter) @zborkena to get the latest Ethiopian News updates regularly. Subscribe to YouTube channel To share information or for submission, send e-mail to info@borkena.com