【非洲·埃塞俄比亚】纪念发现基督圣十字的庆典 Commemoration feast of the finding of the True Holy Cross of Christ（2013年）

9月26日，埃塞俄比亚各地庆祝马斯克尔节，以纪念耶稣真正的神圣十字架的出土。庆祝活动始于亚的斯亚贝巴马斯克尔广场的达梅拉篝火建筑——一个圆锥形的火堆，由树枝和火炬组成，周围装饰着绿草和象征新年的阿比西尼亚雏菊。来自不同社区的数十万人聚集在广场上，身着鲜艳服装的牧师在火堆前吟唱圣歌和祈祷，并表演他们独特的节奏舞蹈。高潮时，埃塞俄比亚东正教Tewahedo教堂的主教点燃了篝火。无论年龄、性别、语言或种族，马斯克尔在全国都享有盛誉。据信，参与者会从庆祝活动中获得精神奖励，并从神圣十字架获得祝福。地方教会在协调社区和保护环境方面发挥着关键作用。这个节日也是一个家庭团聚、农民工返乡的时刻——这种团聚导致资金、信息和新思想从城市中心流入农村地区。在庆祝活动之前，个人争吵和社会分歧必须得到解决。通过这种方式，马斯克尔为埃塞俄比亚人提供了一个机会，通过和解、社会凝聚力与和平共处来促进他们的精神生活。

2013年度列入人类非物质文化遗产名录。

来源：联合国教科文组织亚太地区非物质文化遗产国际培训中心

The festival of Maskel is celebrated across Ethiopia on 26 September to commemorate the unearthing of the True Holy Cross of Christ. Celebrations begin with the building of the Damera bonfire in Maskel Square in Addis Ababa – a conical pyre of poles surrounded by bundles of branches and torches, decorated with green grass and Abyssinian daisies symbolizing the New Year. Hundreds of thousands of people from diverse communities flock to the square as colourfully dressed priests chant hymns and prayers and perform their unique rhythmic dance in front of the pyre. At the climax, the patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church lights the bonfire. Maskel is celebrated nationwide regardless of age, gender, language or ethnicity. Participants are believed to receive spiritual rewards from the celebration and blessings from the Holy Cross. Local churches play a key role in coordinating communities and safeguarding the element. The festival is also a time when families get together and migrant workers return home – reunions that result in the inflow of money, information and new ideas from urban centres to rural areas. Prior to the celebration, personal quarrels and social disagreements must be resolved. In this way, Maskel is an occasion for Ethiopians to promote their spiritual life through reconciliation, social cohesion and peaceful coexistence.

Included in the list of human intangible cultural heritage in 2013.

Source: UNESCO International Training Center for intangible cultural heritage in the Asia Pacific Region