What to Expect at the ICS Community's Meskel Celebration

ICS will host its annual Meskel celebration on Friday 29 September, and the entire community is invited.

The school community’s Meskel Celebration is a long-standing tradition at ICS and one of the most prominent celebrations of our host-country culture. Beginning at 2:00 PM, ICS Head of School Earl Chamberlin will light the demera, a large fire that is a tradition for Meskel. Participants in the demera and guests often wear traditional Ethiopian clothing for the celebration.

After the demera is lit, a visiting choir, as well as members of the ICS staff and community, will sing and dance together around the field. It is important to note that it is customary, when the singers come to you, to gift them small amounts of cash as a symbolic gesture to wish them a future of wealth and prosperity.

ICS students, families, and ICS employees are invited join us in the Lower Field for this cultural celebration. Dismissal will take place as normal on Friday for all students, however parents who attend may escort their children off campus after the celebration if they prefer.

The community-wide demera is the final event of the Meskel celebrations taking place on campus, which also feature performances, activities and projects across all school sections.

For example, Grade 4 students are performing Meskel songs on campus earlier in the week for their peers. ICS Music Teacher Adane Asnake said the celebrations connect directly to the learning students are experiencing in the Primary Years Programme (PYP).

“We explore a variety of transdisciplinary units and one of them is ‘Where we are in place and time.’ In music class, students will cultivate an open-minded attitude as they delve into the study of a culture distinct from their own,” Adane said. “This valuable experience enhances their understanding and inspires future engagement with different people and their rich cultural heritage. IN an international school setting, where students, teachers, and families come from so many different backgrounds, this exploration helps foster a deep appreciation for and acceptance of our diversity.”