Merry Christmas

Today is Christmas Day according to the Ethiopian calendar so yesterday everyone at the Center took a half day in order to start preparations. Everyone gets the day off on both Christian and Islamic holidays in Ethiopia, and everyone seems to enjoy the festive spirit regardless of religion. Christians go to church early in the morning for a service and everyone wears their Sunday Best, which for women is simple, but elegant hand-woven white clothing with decorative hemlines.
Last night my colleagues and I went to a local Chinese restaurant, Da Tang, for dinner. It is a massive four-story building although most guests dine on the second floor which has tables for 4 or 20 depending on the size of your party. A few groups where there, including an embassy group. We were seated by a Chinese waitress and ordered a few dishes such as mapo-dofu, sweet-n-sour fish, and chahan fried rice along with a round of St. George beers, brought out by the Ethiopian staff. During our meal, one of the Ethiopian staff came to our table dressed as Santa Claus. The black belt around his waist was pulled tight showing his slim figure, but he was enthusiastic and jolly enough to play the part well. He handed out red, decorative Chinese knots (zhonguo jie--a series of knots tied into a diamond shape with a single thread which symbolizes harmony, luck, love, etc) and wished us a Merry Christmas.