Thesis proposal

RITUAL CENTER
Done by . Ruth Abebe
Abstract

Ritual, the performance of ceremonial acts prescribed by tradition or by sacerdotal decree. Ritual is a specific,
observable mode of behavior exhibited by all known societies. It is thus possible to view ritual as a way of defining
or describing humans

Ritual, does not necessarily mean a set of events connected to or specific to a particular culture or religion. In everyda
y life it has become a term used to describe a set of progressive actions. Even though anthropologists use ritual
as one of the methods of identifying cultures, particularly those that have faded into obscurity or been lost to history,
the term is used colloquially like the spoken word . Interestingly the other method of cultural identification is through
built artifacts,

They serve as separating devices which suggest a pre-ritual and postritual state which differ from each other.
The sequence of events may be prescribed by the individual or by a cultural or social construct. There might not be
any actual change through the employment of a ritual, however in the individual or societies eyes the state of being
of the person subjected to the ritual has changed.

Ritual, becomes a measured, concentrated approach to the everyday. According to Mircea Eliade (1957:183) even the
most habitual act can become a ritual, transforming mundane activity into a ceremony of symbolic or even spiritual
significance.
Contents

01. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Research objective
1.2 Need of the project

02. Thesis statement

03. Methodology

04. Ritual and the origin of culture

4.1 Ethiopian orthodox church

4.2 Islam in Ethiopia

4.3 Protestantism in Ethiopia

05. Ritual Activities

Contents

06. Ritual ceremonies and healing

6.1 Coffee ceremonies

07. Goal and Objectives

08. Case study

08. Summary
 1.INTRODUCTION

Ritual Centre is a place which offers various religious activities,

ritual performing, worship place as well as acts as a center for
consciousness towards the religion and culture

Religion in Ethiopia is characterized by a diversity of religious

beliefs and practices. There are various religions in Ethiopia which
teaches human the best way to live.

Ritual is something we cannot avoid. Particular rituals may be

more or less important to certain people or to certain societies
or groups; a devout Orthodox goes to Mass each day, and the Irrecha
discreetly invest enormous amounts of time, money, and energy
in ritual activity throughout the year.

.
1.1 Research objective

This thesis, attempt to explore how the ritual indigenous pilgrimage center came to regional
dominance in Ethiopia and discusses the various ritual ceremonies and
healing methods practiced.

There are certain places in Ethiopia that fundamental function ritual ceremonies practiced so
me of which are annual while others are not some of them are, meskel
adebabay , debrezeyt hora river, goder and so on.. As a capital city most of ceremonies are prac
ticed at adiss abeba , meskel adebaby

Despite becoming a prominent pilgrimage center, the center has faced various
challenges, Investigating these challenges and their causes will be dealt in the thesis. The pilgrim
age center was not, however, of spiritual use only. What other functions does the center have for
the surrounding society?
1.2 Need of project

Religion in Ethiopia is characterized by a diversity of religious beliefs and practices.

There are various religions in Ethiopia which teaches human the best way to live.

Since orthodox religion is already a listed and recognized tourist spot, It seems perfectly
suitable for the Ritual Centre. Waterfront Development and landscaping will draw tourists
As well as the pilgrims

Helping every one understand and appreciate the potential of

different religion on common space

improve the Tourism in the area and would generate source of income
for the localities.
 2.Thesis statement
In this thesis I examined how ritual ceremony used to serve as a stage on which information is exchanged and so
cial activities were maintained. ancient government attacked many religious and cultural institutions by prohib
iting gatherings, suppressing religious practices during the Dergue regime.

Now a days I explored how the Ethiopian ritual ceremony serves at, Addis Ababa as a forum for participat
ory communication most of the pilgrimage are held at meskel adebabay Many informants were reluctant
in most cases to share the place for the ceremonies.

However, in my thesis I tried to solve the primary and fundamental problem of the Ritual center as
common spiritual and cultural ceremonies.

What are the fundamental characteristics of ritual center? What are the driving forces behind this pilgrimag
e compared with other types of pilgrimages in Ethiopia? What made the ritual pilgrimage center unique?
Which periods of the year attract large number of pilgrims? What are the basic events that take place durin
g the major pilgrimages? What is the justification for taking part in the spiritual ceremonies?
I have used various types of methodological approaches in my project. Each method
helped me show somewhat different facts of the same veracity

I have attended and observed some pilgrims ceremonies, healing of patients.

also attended the coffee ceremony which was usually held three times a day

I have also conducted book research to look for possible published sources which
might help me to cross check and corroborate the sources which I got from my or
al informants, I have also consulted other books written on related topics in neig
hboring countries, such as the Sudan and Egypt .
 Ethiopia has a long historical and cultural connection to
Both Christianity and Islam. Roughly two-thirds of population
identifies as Christian and one-third is Muslim. At the time of
the 2007 , 43.5% the population identified as Ethiopian
Orthodox Christian, 33.9% identified as Muslim and 18.5%
identified as Protestant Christian (Pentay)

Religious studies tell us ritualization is fundamentally a way

of doing things to trigger the perception that these practices
are distinct and the association they engender are special

33.9%

43.5%
 Ethiopian Orthodox ‘Tewahedo’ Church is one of the oldest and earliest
Christian bodies in the world. It is generally considered to be the traditional
religion of ethiopia, and is closely correlated with the national identity. For most
Ethiopian Orthodox Christians, faith is deeply important to their day-to-day life
as well as their identity.

They also observe typical Orthodox rituals and practices – the Feast of Epiphany
(Timkat) and Meskel being the most important celebration and ceremonies.
Ethiopian Orthodox services generally involve lots of dancing and singing to
traditional gospel music (mezmur).

Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity involves many rituals and practices that are
common to Judaism. For example, followers are expected to observe Sabbath,
circumcise their sons and follow strict dietary laws. There is a strong focus on
orthopraxy, demonstrated in the practice of fasting.

It is estimated that 62.8% of Ethiopians withdraw from meat products on an av

erage of about 250 days of the year due to this religious belief.2
 The Ethiopian practice of Islam shares many informal and formal
attachments to Sufism (a mystical branch of Islam). example, Menzumas
are a popular form of worship for Ethiopian Muslims. These are a type
of dzikr – repeated devotional chants that praise God. In Ethiopia, these
chants often involve clapping and tongue trilling.

Other ritual that fall into this category include ramadan the celebration
after fasting

Protestantism is a recent religious movement in Ethiopia Pentay is a short

of the word ‘Pentecostal’ but tends to be used to refer to non-Orthodox
Protestant Christians regardless of their denomination.

Some Evangelical Protestant Christians have claimed unequal treatment by

local government officials over registration and obtaining land for churches and
cemeteries.6
 cultural
Ceremonial that accompany major life event such as

5.Ritual birth, marriage and death

- Irreccha - traditional coffee

activities
religion
in almost every religion of the world indicate a
human aspiration for spiritual fulfillment.

- faith healing centers by holy water.

- Meskel - timket

political
accommodated with in the vast political structure

- Gatherings during election periods

- Gatherings during different political holidays
- Posters with messages from the government
Ritual ceremonies that accompanies major life event such as birth, marriage,
Feasting, fasting and festival. They serve to culturally mark a person transition
from one stage of life to the next and they Are public expression of a society
shared value and cultural beliefs

I will describe different ritual ceremonies and healing methods as practiced at

Ethiopia. It is evident that every major religion in the world has its own
ceremonies and diverse claimed ways of healing the sick, so also at the ritual
center. There are some popular beliefs among the believers of the cult which
attract thousands of pilgrims to the center on a number of occasions annually.

The major pilgrimage practiced in Ethiopia

- Epiphany (timket)
- meskel
- Irrecha
- Ramadan
- Music concert
- Ashenda
- Adwa
- chembelala
 6.1. Major Coffee ceremonies

STEP 01.
STEP 02.
prepare coffee clean house
and prepare all necessary
The coffee beans washed
equipment needed for the
by hand three, five or seven ti
ceremony.
mes before roasting

STEP 03.
STEP 04.
roast the coffee beans over a flat p
After careful pounding using a wo an on fire. until the coffee beans ar
oden mortar and pestle, the powd e turned into deep brown and
er are added into boiled water to shining,
be brewed in a jabanaa
 7. Goals & Objectives

 Helping every one understand and appreciate

the potential of different religion on
Common space

 A display space for any cultural or political

exhibition

 To design a space which can serve as a center

and generate tourism

 A place to celebrate different religious, cultural

And political holidays
Case study
MESKEL SQUARE

- It is the first urban open space to be designed for the

purpose.
- It is the only place recognized by the city
administration as plaza.
- It is found in the center of the city and is easily
accessible from any part of the city.
- It is the largest amphitheater in the city.
- It is considered as the only open gathering place whe
n the city hosts international events

The square is bordered by a 50m wide vehicle street on

the northern side, two museums on the eastern side, and an
exhibition center on its southern side and a high school on its
south western side. This place has a total area of 47790 m2.
Location …….. Adiss Abeba around Estifanos church

Polonyi designed the square in to its current for an Total area ….. 47790 m2
amphitheater for the purpose of political, Cultural
and religious ceremonies.
The square at this time is filled with people celebrating the festival. As seen on
fig 37, a structure is built from dry wood and is burnt for the ceremony. Priests
sing and show religious songs and dances on the ceremony

Many tourists from all over the world come to see this festival every
year. people find this place easily accessible since it is in the center of the city.
Other religious activities could take place on the square. But, these are done
with special request and permission from the city administration office.

- Starting and finishing point of different sport competitions

- Display area of the different cultures in the country political ceremonies and occasions that are hosted on the square. The yearly
- Place for exhibitions of different kinds political festival on the square is the May 28 celebration of the ruling party
signifying the day the current took power. There are also other political festivals
which are mainly the gathering of people called by government officials
The planning and design of Meskel Square indicates a modern
approach. The project has equipped the gathering place with
integrated facilities, including an underground parking space that
accommodates 1,400 vehicles.

The landscape played an important role in the construction and later

development of the square. followed the existing landscape when
proposing an amphitheater at the square and using it as the main
design theme of the square

- The low number in urban open space in the city has caused
the congestion of Meskel square.
- The general attitude of the public towards the proper usage
of urban open spaces is low.
- Trade is a big activity in such spaces and needs attention
from the responsible authorities.
- The trend of the people in using urban open spaces
depends on their economic status as well.
- The public needs to be educated on the use and function of
public spaces in the city.
  Multi-use space • Space for children

 wide space  Variety of service

 attracting more  maintenance on

users. the spaces
S W
O T
• central place • recreational are
for the city for the inhabitant

• uniqueness • Public gathering

• recognizable
 9. Summary
In this thesis, I have tried to show how the Ritual pilgrimage center came to regional do
minance in Ethiopia and the ritual ceremonies and healing methods practiced at the
institution.

The tradition of going to pilgrimage in Ethiopia is a tradition with a long history. Pilgrims
go to pilgrimage with variety of motives, such as, spiritual, healing, cultural, religion of
affiliation to a certain group

As it is mentioned above briefly, the above ceremonies are related to healing, one of the
fundamental reasons why pilgrimages attract large number of worshippers. There is a
belief that the ritual ceremonies that took place at the pilgrimage center, the various
healing methods, and the power of the spiritual leaders are ways of getting rid of physical
and mental illnesses.

In conclusion, the ritual pilgrimage center can be referred to as an indigenous institution

mainly as a result of its accommodating characteristics and its indigenous development. It
is probably the only spiritual establishment where the adherents of Christianity and Islam
and people who belong to different ethnic and political divisions in the form of various reg
ions came together and perform spiritual activities.

This trend as a meeting place of people with various religious backgrounds might be the r
eason for the syncretistic nature of the Ritual pilgrimage center which has both Islamic,
Christian, and Indigenous beliefs and practices.
Thanks !