retains the ancient Julian calendar in which Christmas falls on January 7th (of the Gregorian calendar.) The Ethiopian name given to Christmas is Ledet or Genna which, according to elders, comes from the word Gennana, meaning “imminent” to express the coming of Christ and the freeing of mankind from sin. It is a public holiday, and the day is a time of reflection, inner thoughts and healing Continue reading……………………………………….
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overthrow by the Marxist dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam in 1974. The longtime ruler traced his line back to Menelik I, who was credited with being the child of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.
Emperor Haile Selassie I was born on July 23, 1892, as Lij Taffari Makonnen at Enjersa Goro, just outside the city of Harrar Ethiopia. His parents were Ras Makonnen Wolde Michael, the governor of Harrar, and his wife, Woizero Yeshimebet Ali AbaJiffar. At the age of thirteen, Lij Taffari Makonnen was appointed a Dejazmatch by his father (“Commander or General of the Gate”) a military title meaning commander of the central body of a traditional Ethiopian armed force. Ras Makonnen also summoned all his officers and informed them that it was his wish that his son Dejazmatch Taffari succeed him as governor of Harrar although ultimate decisions as to the succession of the Harrar governorate belonged to his cousin Emperor Menelik II.
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Self-Determination in African Union’s “Golden Jubilee”
Africa, the richest continent, is emerging from more than thousands years of invasions, occupations, slavery, distress… We Africans endured and appreciated struggles, rebellions, resistances with self determination, leading to victories, freedom, independence and sovereignty wherever and whenever it was possible.
Then we witnessed the creation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), on May 25th 1963, a divine gift, which has been truly instrumental in term of liberation and freedom of our people. Amongst many great African leaders assembled, two Heads of State, President Dr. Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana and Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia stood out in shaping the future of Africa. They and others inspired us to invest and commit ourselves to a just and noble cause: the Unity of our continent at all levels.
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Grounation Day (21st April)
Marks the date Haile Selassie I visited Jamaica in 1966. The visit was the only time the Emperor visited Jamaica. A Nyabingi session, inclusive of music, chanting and prayer is held to mark the occasion. Haile Selassie had already met with several Rasta elders in Addis Ababa, and had allowed Rastafari and other people of African descent to settle on his personal land in Shashamane.
Selassie’s visit not only cemented respect for Rastafari in international headlines, but also changed the life of Rita Marley, Bob Marley’s wife. While a nonbeliever prior to this visit, she reportedly saw a stigma on Haile Selassie’s hand as he waved to the crowd, instantaneously making her aware of his divinity. Just moments prior, Selassie’s refusal to walk on a red carpet from his plane to the limousine translated into the Rastafari acceptance of grounation, indicating his “making contact with the soil”—and, furthermore, the name of this day as Grounation (or Groundation) Day.
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eadership of the non-violent civil rights movement in the United States. He was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968, at the age of 39. A Baptist minister, King became a civil rights activist early in his career. He led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1957, serving as its first president. King’s efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. There, he expanded American values to include the vision of a color blind society, and established his reputation as one of the greatest orators in American history.
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Rastas mark 50th anniversary of bloody Coral Gardens incident
As part of the anniversary observances, the Rastafari Millennium Council and the Coral Gardens Committee and other groups Thursday organised a protest march and motorcade from downtown Kingston to the seat of Parliament at Gordon House and on to Half-Way-Tree for a rally at Mandela Park.
Awasho Orphanage School Project
