By Bonny Apunyu, AFP

More than 100 000 Ethiopian Orthodox Christians took part in a procession in Addis Ababa for the first major religious festival of the country’s third millennium.

Ethiopians on Thursday converged on Meskel square in the capital’s centre, in larger numbers than often before during a ceremony where they sing hymns and beat drums to commemorate what the faithful regard as the finding of cross on which Jesus was crucified.

According to Ethiopian Christian tradition, Meskel – Amharic for cross – the festival celebrates the finding of the “true cross” by Saint Helena in Jerusalem in the 4th century AD. She is believed to have found the hiding place where three crosses used during Jesus’ crucifixion and identified the holy one by a miracle.

The story has it that St Helena gave pieces of the cross to all Orthodox churches and Ethiopia’s church claims to still hold its own piece in a remote monastery.

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In Washington DC, where the largest number of Ethiopian immigrants live, there was a special prayer and celebration at St Gebriel Church last night in the presence of His Holiness Abune Merkorios, Ethiopia’s legitimate patriarch who is currently in exile after escaping assassination attempts. Abune Merkorios was joined by Abune Melketsediq, Abune Samuel, Abune Filipos and Abune Yacob, as well as hundreds of Ethiopians who participated in the celebration which included lighting bonfire, beating drums, and songs.