GISHEN MARIAM (Feast of the Piece of the Cross)

GISHEN MARIAM (Feast of the Piece of the Cross)
The venue of this festival itself, is a marvel. Flying over, one can see the naturally crude cruciform-shaped land feature of Gishen. Girdled by sheer cliffs in all directions and with only one access, the church is perched at the top of a hill and had played a significant role in the political history of Medieval Ethiopia as the “Royal Prison.” Later, Emperor Dawit is said to have brought a piece of Christ’s cross from Egypt. Later yet, it was Emperor Zara Yacob, said to be led by the Holy Spirit who brought this treasure to it’s present location at Gishen, thus the celebrations are associated with him. The glorification of Mary is also traced back to the same period and Emperor. The Eve of the festival falls on Sept 30 with the main celebration on the following day.