Asmari dancer
So, I've celebrated the second millennium of my life (and my last unless there's another calendar out there somewhere).
It was good, better than I expected, and I think most people here enjoyed it, whether they were at the big expensive Sheraton concert or out on the streets watching fireworks or in the many bars singing and dancing.
We started the evening in a 'meat house' in the Kazanchis area, with D's siblings. The meat houses are like butchers that also prepare and serve meat, in the form of tibs (roasted chunks of meat) or kitfo (raw steak) and various states in between. The place we were in also serves beer - a good combination! 1.5 kilos of beef tibs between 6 of us was delicious.
Then we joined some friends for a drink in a local bar/restaurant, then went with them to an asmari bet (asmari house) up the road.
Asmari is a style of traditional music/praise singing in Ethiopia. In an Asmari bet, there are a few musicians - usually someone on traditional drums and someone playing masinko, a traditional one-stringed instrument. There's often also one or two dancers in traditional costume and the patrons join in the dancing too. They sing along with the music, singing about the people in the bar, having fun with them and generally having the craic (as we'd say in Ireland). An Asmari bet is usually a small bar, so everyone is involved in what's going on. The only drawback for me is that my Amharic isn't good enough (yet!) to understand all the lyrics...so when they're joking about me in the song, I don't know what it is unless I have an Ethiopian friend with me. Though the word 'ferenji' usually gives it away that they're talking about me :)
After that, we wandered up the road in front of the Palace and joined the crowds out to see the fireworks at midnight. There was a good atmosphere, no trouble, and the fireworks were great. After they finally stopped, we headed back to another bar for a last couple of beers (I was tired from a warm-up night out the night before and not up to seeing in the real Ethiopian start of the millennium at 6am!).
Blanket coverage of events around the country on ETV on new year's day showed lots of people having a good time and getting together. The Sheraton concert looked very good, though, as the BBC World Service reporter put it, those who forked out for the tickets did have to sit through some long speeches before the music started. There was one foreign act - Black Eyed Peas, and lots of Ethiopian artists, such as Teddy Afro (I think), Aster Aweke and Teodros (for those Teddy fans out there, he has a new album out - I haven't got my own copy yet but the songs I've heard are very good and he's got a Frank Sinatra look going on on the album cover).
Happy new millennium everybody!
It was good, better than I expected, and I think most people here enjoyed it, whether they were at the big expensive Sheraton concert or out on the streets watching fireworks or in the many bars singing and dancing.
We started the evening in a 'meat house' in the Kazanchis area, with D's siblings. The meat houses are like butchers that also prepare and serve meat, in the form of tibs (roasted chunks of meat) or kitfo (raw steak) and various states in between. The place we were in also serves beer - a good combination! 1.5 kilos of beef tibs between 6 of us was delicious.
Then we joined some friends for a drink in a local bar/restaurant, then went with them to an asmari bet (asmari house) up the road.
Asmari is a style of traditional music/praise singing in Ethiopia. In an Asmari bet, there are a few musicians - usually someone on traditional drums and someone playing masinko, a traditional one-stringed instrument. There's often also one or two dancers in traditional costume and the patrons join in the dancing too. They sing along with the music, singing about the people in the bar, having fun with them and generally having the craic (as we'd say in Ireland). An Asmari bet is usually a small bar, so everyone is involved in what's going on. The only drawback for me is that my Amharic isn't good enough (yet!) to understand all the lyrics...so when they're joking about me in the song, I don't know what it is unless I have an Ethiopian friend with me. Though the word 'ferenji' usually gives it away that they're talking about me :)
After that, we wandered up the road in front of the Palace and joined the crowds out to see the fireworks at midnight. There was a good atmosphere, no trouble, and the fireworks were great. After they finally stopped, we headed back to another bar for a last couple of beers (I was tired from a warm-up night out the night before and not up to seeing in the real Ethiopian start of the millennium at 6am!).
Blanket coverage of events around the country on ETV on new year's day showed lots of people having a good time and getting together. The Sheraton concert looked very good, though, as the BBC World Service reporter put it, those who forked out for the tickets did have to sit through some long speeches before the music started. There was one foreign act - Black Eyed Peas, and lots of Ethiopian artists, such as Teddy Afro (I think), Aster Aweke and Teodros (for those Teddy fans out there, he has a new album out - I haven't got my own copy yet but the songs I've heard are very good and he's got a Frank Sinatra look going on on the album cover).
Happy new millennium everybody!
posted by Terri at
3:10 PM
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