The Ethiopian Church Journal Blog

Ethiopia Honors Olympic Victor Ethiopia's Victor in the Olympic marathon event in Rome on September 15, 1960, received a hero's welcome for his outstanding feat of snatching the first Olympic Gold Medal for his country in the marathon duel against some of the world's best runners. Long before the time scheduled for the arrival of the plane bringing the Ethiopian Olympic team home, Addis Ababa airport and the city's main streets leading in the direction of the airport began to become crowded with welcoming crowds. All roads appeared to lead not as the saying has it, to Rome, but to Addis Ababa airport. Reception Among the packed crowd at the airport were included all categories of the city's population—-high-ranking government officials, white collar workers, and ordinary folk. The Imperial Body Guard, of which the Olympic victor is a member, was well represented. The Imperial Body Guard band, decked out in full dress red tunics and green bloomers was on hand to add

The Blood-horse Jockey Antongeorgi adopts mare he rode at Golden Gate. He should instead try one of Ethiopian breeds. A little history lesson would take him further, higher, faster! pic credit: pinterest.com (top); press.et (bottom)  

The Monastic Community of Ethiopia by Robert Van de Weyer The following is a description of the life of the Ethiopian monastic community (nefrugeddam), based on visits to 18 major monasteries and lengthy interviews with the monks. It is remarkable that from one end of Ethiopia to the other the life of the monasteries is essentially the same, varying only in degrees of strictness. It is possible therefore to typify that life. The Ethiopian monastery has, so the monks believe, remained unchanged for 1,500 years. The original Christian monks in the fourth century were hermits living in the Egyptian desert. Gradually they came together to form communities, building simple villages for themselves with a common kitchen and a church where they could meet daily for prayers. From Egypt monasticism spread westwards to Italy and France where it quickly became highly organised and authoritarian. St. Benedict's long rule which was soon adopted throughout Europe prescribed in detail every hour

The Horsemen of Old-Time Ethiopia By Richard Pankhurst Ethiopia has since time immemorial been a great country of horses and horsemen; riding ability and prowess on horseback have been traditionally rated by an essentially warrior people as among the highest of manly virtues, and some of the most daring and highly honoured acts of sportsmanship were carried out on horseback, rulers and important personalities being indeed frequently referred to by the names of their horses. The vastness of the Ethiopian scene – the word Empire is fully appropriate – and the frequency of warfare, above all in the old days between the Christian empire and its Muslim and pagan neighbours, gave immense importance to the horse which was par excellence the warrior's steed. The animal was in fact primarily ridden for fighting when speed of manoeuvre was essential; at other times in view of the rugged terrain the mule was preferred, the latter animal usually costing about twice twice as much as the form