Where there is work, there should also be celebration. At the DBSAA, there is a fixed cycle of celebrations and activities during the school year in the areas of sports, culture and of course around the big holidays such as Christmas and Easter. All students are eagerly awaiting the various Ethiopian and German festivals with great joy and the parents are always very welcome, and above all are very often significantly involved in the preparations.
In Ethiopia we have a different time line based on the Gregorian calendar according to which Ethiopia is about 7 years and 9 months „behind our time“. The Ethiopian calendar counts 13 months, the first 12 months are each 30 days long, the 13th month(“13 months of sunshine”) is however only 5 or 6 days long.
New Year’s Day is a particularly important holiday in Ethiopia and is celebrated on September 11 (1st Meskerem) according to the Julian calendar. On Ethiopian New Year’s Day the school is closed, but the celebration is made up for in the form of a project day. Throughout the day there are various activities such as dancing, handicrafts (weaving, painting, pottery etc), cooking etc. The older students deal with local history or analyze an Ethiopian film. Finally there are exhibitions, presentations and an Ethiopian food buffet.
The Meskel festival is one of the most colourful and significant Christian holidays in Ethiopia and commemorates the discovery of the cross on which Jesus was crucified and the solemn presentation on the following day. Legend has it that the mother of Emperor Constantine the Great was on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and, following a divine vision, lit a fire. Following the smoke, she was shown the way to the hidden cross. Before that, the faithful, especially the sick, are said to have been healed by touching the cross. St. Helena then gave parts of the cross to various churches. But the Meskel festival also indicates the end of the rainy season and thus the beginning of spring. According to the Gregorian calendar, the festival falls on September 27th and is a public holiday. Every year on September 26th/27th people gather all over Ethiopia to commemorate this event in solemn processions, dances and bonfires. It is also the time of year when the famous Meskel daisy bathes the plains of the Ethiopian highlands in a bright yellow.
The church choir from Kechene visits the kindergarten every year to make the day even more festive. Everyone can come in Ethiopian traditional clothing, singing, dancing and lighting the meskel fire together.
“St. Martin rode through snow and wind, his steed carried him away quickly” is the sound of the traditional St. Martin’s procession, which takes place every year on the grounds of the German Embassy School. There is no trace of snow and cold in Addis Ababa, but many children and adults can experience how a real horseman shares his red coat with a poor beggar. In memory of this exemplary deed of St. Martin, St. Martin’s pretzels will be shared afterwards. In the days before, the kindergarten and primary school are transformed into a lantern craft workshop. In all the rooms they paint, cut, glue and paste a lot until every child has finished its own splendid piece.
At the beginning of the 2nd semester of the school year, all pupils set off for a walk in nature together with their teachers. Equipped with good shoes and a delicious picnic, a new hiking destination is chosen each year, depending on the age group. The hiking day is a great opportunity to recharge your batteries for the second half of the school year.
Every year the kindergarten and primary school celebrate carnival. This includes imaginative costumes, funny games, a proper, not too healthy breakfast and a wild party. In addition, you can watch the colourfully dressed up primary school children as they parade around the school grounds in a polonaise.
Every school year we all celebrate a “Germany Day” at school together. The occasion is either the Day of German Unity or, for example, anniversaries such as “30 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall” or “70 years of the Basic Law”. Our pupils take part in projects such as “A Picture of Germany”, “Typically German”, “Contemporary Witnesses” and “The German Forest”. The interactive event is partly organised in cooperation with the German Embassy and the Goethe Institute. Afterwards all participants can enjoy a typical German lunch.
Sports Day
Every year in February, the DBSAA organizes a sports day for all students in grades 5 to 12, a colorful and versatile event for the whole family. The pupils compete in the triathlon (sprint, long jump, shot put). In addition, there is a voluntary competition in the high jump, a spectacular display of skills by our best athletes.. Around 13.00 hrs there is a joint award ceremony and the sporting achievements of the pupils are honoured with a corresponding certificate.
Federal Youth Games
The primary school students celebrate their sports festival within the framework of the Federal Youth Games Regulationsand also compete in the triathlon.
Mini sports badge
The Minisport badge is an annual event of the kindergarten. On a course with various movement tasks, the children come into contact with sporting exercises in a playful and fun way. The individual stations for running, throwing, jumping and balancing are designed in such a way that they each train a certain motor ability (endurance, strength, mobility, speed and coordination) in accordance with their development. There is a running card and a certificate for each child.
The Advent season is celebrated in different ways in primary school and kindergarten. Each class and kindergarten group sings Christmas carols, packs Advent packages and listens to Advent stories. A highlight is the visit of Santa Claus with his assistant Knecht Ruprecht. The children recite poems to him and sing songs – as a reward there is always a sweet surprise from the „big bag“.
On the first Sunday in Advent, the German Embassy School Addis Ababa will open its doors as the venue for the traditional Christmas bazaar, which we are organising together with the German church community.
Christmas in East Africa is always a special experience, which is why many visitors do not miss the opportunity to visit the Christmas bazaar on the first Sunday in Advent in bright sunshine and warm temperatures and to enjoy the wide range of products on offer: on the one hand, there are classic Christmas products such as Advent wreaths, Christmas decorations and Christmas stollen, but also grilled sausage and freshly tapped bee Local artists and organisations offer their home-made products on the entire sports field.
Furthermore, the programme offers a wide range of activities for children and young people. An equipment course in the sports hall, games of skill on the sports field and a Christmas workshop with cookie baking in the primary school are examples. Singing performances by the primary and secondary school with a Christmas programme round off the day.
Idioms and phrases by theidioms.com