Kulubi Gabriel
Situated high on a hill, with views towards the Somali plains, lies the church of Kulubi Gabriel. A Coptic church, built by Italians in the Haile Selassie era, the site is visited by Orthodox Christian, Muslim and Animist pilgrims alike.
The Christians make their vows to Saint Gabriel and the Muslims to "Gibril" (as it is known in the Quran), while the tree which used to stand in place of the church was an ancient site of worship for the dominant tribe in the area, the Oromo.
Nowadays, Kulubi Gabriel is a large festival celebrated both in the height of the dry season (December) and in the slightly less popular wet season (July). Pilgrims journey by foot to Kulubi to thank Saint Gabriel for granting them their vow. Most also make offerings of livestock, ornate umbrellas or candles to the church. The Orthodox Christians then sleep around the church, their numbers increasing daily so that the night before the main religious celebration (on the 28 December and 7 July respectively), the church grounds are a sea of white.
The larger festival, which takes place on the land surrounding the church, runs over several days and people make the journey from all over Ethiopia for spiritual fulfillment as well as for recreational reasons. In addition to the profound religious ceremony taking place at the central site, thousands gather in the surrounding church grounds to spend their time eating meat, drinking katikalla and tella (local spirit and beer), and partying through the night.
Be warned, Kulubi is only for the hardy and the non-vegetarian. Very few non-Ethiopians attend. It gets extremely cold at night as it is so high in the mountains, so pack a tent and warm sleeping bags. Buy a gabi, the large white cotton shawls that all the Orthodox Christians wear (the best place is Merkato in Addis Ababa), to keep you warm and help you blend in.
Please note that the Ethiopian calendar has 13 months in a year and so the corresponding western date varies from year to year. Please confirm the dates before setting off.
| Venue Information: | Kulubi | |
|---|---|---|
| Full Name: | ||
| Address: | Kulubi, Harerge region | |
| Directions: | First of all, you need to get to Dire Dawa. You can fly there relatively cheaply from Addis Ababa. Alternatively there is a slow train (overnight) or a bus (a day). If you're taking a bus, you can choose to go to either Dire Dawa or Harar. Pilgrims walk from both towns the whole way (uphill) to the village of Kulubi (which is about 10km from the junction with the road running between Dire Dawa and Harar). The walk is a long one though (around 75km from Dire Dawa and 45km from Harar). If you're not feeling up to it, minibuses run to Kulubi from both towns. | |
| Other Dates | 28 Dec 2010 (various dates) | 7 Jul 2010 (various dates) |
| Name: | Ethiopian Commission of Tourism |
|---|---|
| Location: | Ethiopia |
| Address: | Ras Mekonin Ave, PO Box 2183, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia |
| Fax: | +251 (0) 1 513 899 |
