Merry Eritrean Christmas!
Last week Eritrea celebrated New Years, and Christmas. Christmas, like in Russia, is celebrated here on the 7th of January according to the Old Calendar.
New Years in Asmara was a rather large event, there were all sorts of New Years parties everywhere and all the bars, cafes and restaurants were full of people. I celebrated with my Dutch friends, originally we had planned to go for Eritrean food at the Blue Nile, however, after waiting over an hour at the bar for a table, we realized our chances at getting a table for eight without prior reservations was not too hopeful and so we opted for the another main alternative in Eritrea- Italian. After some delicious Spinach and Feta Cannelloni, we headed to Bar Aiba for some dancing. We had a fun time, the DJ was from Paris, and played a great mix of different music. Later I ended up at the intercontinental( the fancy only 5 star hotel in Eritrea- apparently made for Hilary Clinton- as when she came to Africa - she said there were not any adequate hotels). At the "Intercon" as international call it, I stayed up late talking with an American friend till 4am and then biked home. The next day for New Years Day I traveled to Massawa, the anient port city, 3 hours by bus away. The 2500m decline can be a bit challenging, but the warm, turquoise coloured Red Sea, accompanied by fresh fish make the journey worth while.
Christmas here was celebrated here last Friday, and for Christmas I got a great present- Vadim! He arrived here at 5am Friday morning, and then after only a couple hours of sleep I took him to meet a couple of my work colleagues, as I was invited to couple Eritrean family Xmas parties.
All around town, we saw people walking their Xmas goats home, so it was no surprise that we feasted on some fresh goat meat and ingera for Christmas dinner. The one surprise was the extra parts of the goat that were included in the meal. Some of which were literally hard to swallow, but we were told it was a specialty so we tried out best not to be rude and offend our hosts. As you can tell my part-time vegetarianism has been a little difficult to maintain here in Eritrea.
In any event, Christmas in Eritrea was a lot of fun, we drank a lot of coffee at we were at two coffee ceremonies, enjoyed great company and came home with very full bellies- quite satisfied. All in all, I think it was a great opportunity for Vadim to get a quick introduction to Eritrean culture and way of life.
New Years in Asmara was a rather large event, there were all sorts of New Years parties everywhere and all the bars, cafes and restaurants were full of people. I celebrated with my Dutch friends, originally we had planned to go for Eritrean food at the Blue Nile, however, after waiting over an hour at the bar for a table, we realized our chances at getting a table for eight without prior reservations was not too hopeful and so we opted for the another main alternative in Eritrea- Italian. After some delicious Spinach and Feta Cannelloni, we headed to Bar Aiba for some dancing. We had a fun time, the DJ was from Paris, and played a great mix of different music. Later I ended up at the intercontinental( the fancy only 5 star hotel in Eritrea- apparently made for Hilary Clinton- as when she came to Africa - she said there were not any adequate hotels). At the "Intercon" as international call it, I stayed up late talking with an American friend till 4am and then biked home. The next day for New Years Day I traveled to Massawa, the anient port city, 3 hours by bus away. The 2500m decline can be a bit challenging, but the warm, turquoise coloured Red Sea, accompanied by fresh fish make the journey worth while.
Christmas here was celebrated here last Friday, and for Christmas I got a great present- Vadim! He arrived here at 5am Friday morning, and then after only a couple hours of sleep I took him to meet a couple of my work colleagues, as I was invited to couple Eritrean family Xmas parties.
All around town, we saw people walking their Xmas goats home, so it was no surprise that we feasted on some fresh goat meat and ingera for Christmas dinner. The one surprise was the extra parts of the goat that were included in the meal. Some of which were literally hard to swallow, but we were told it was a specialty so we tried out best not to be rude and offend our hosts. As you can tell my part-time vegetarianism has been a little difficult to maintain here in Eritrea.
In any event, Christmas in Eritrea was a lot of fun, we drank a lot of coffee at we were at two coffee ceremonies, enjoyed great company and came home with very full bellies- quite satisfied. All in all, I think it was a great opportunity for Vadim to get a quick introduction to Eritrean culture and way of life.
posted by Laura | 1:20 AM
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