The Bahti Meskereme square in this capital brought together thousands of people for the traditional burning of the Demera (unify) bonfire with the blessing of His Eminence Abune Petros, according to publications on the social network X, formerly Twitter, of the Minister of Information Yemane G. Meskel.

The bonfire is a replica of what Queen Helen of Constantinople did to find the exact place where the real cross was buried for centuries. The priests, dressed in colorful ornaments, sing hymns, recite prayers and perform a rhythmic dance around the fire.

The latter invokes blessings to mark what the Church believes to have been the 4th century discovery of the True Cross (the cross on which Jesus was crucified) by Queen Helen, mother of the 4th century Roman Emperor Constantine the Great.

According to tradition, the monarch prayed to know the place and dreamed that she should make a bonfire whose smoke would direct her to where the cross was.

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