Ethiopia, a land of many contrasts found in the Horn of Africa, whose main religion is Ethiopian Orthodox, may be the only country in the world celebrating Christmas twice. This is due to the two calendars being followed: Gregorian, which coincides with other countries, and Julian, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church's ancient calendar, which contains 13 months.
To keep up with this double yuletide celebration, and to accommodate everybody’s shopping needs, the annual Addis Ababa Diplomatic Bazaar is definitely one’s best choice for picking up extraordinary or unique gift items, to please those very special people in one’s list. Like usual, thousands of eager shoppers trooped to the African Union compound, in search of bargains, and that one-of-a-kind present, and to revel in the festive atmosphere.
Ready-to-wear clothing, hand-woven tablecloths, grass bags and mats, artworks, foodstuffs, jewellery, house décors, garden plants and cut flowers, books, and hundreds more of items brought in from around the world were on display.
Persian Carpets, Norwegian Linie Aquavit, French Foie Gras to Zampone Cotto
Iran laid out their exquisite Persian carpets; China showed off handicrafts; Cuba arrayed Che Guevarra t-shirts and cigars; France came with their foie gras, mustard, ciders, wines and cheeses; Norway sold off tonnes of fresh smoked salmon and bottles of Linie aquavit; the US embassy had locals and expats elbowing for books and magazines; the Netherlands spread out their cookies, candies, cheeses and pickled hareng; Italy displayed clothes, wine, preserves and a special delicacy, Zampone cotto; Zambia promoted a particular type of flour and dried anchovies.
Japanese Sushi, South African Wines, Canadian Moose Droppings to Israeli Bath Salts
Japan had their trademark sushi, lacquered tableware, wooden clogs, sashes, and kimonos; Korea had an array of cup noodles and spicy kimchi; South Africa proudly presented their numerous products such as fruit juices, wines, beers, jewellery, and ceramic jars; Canada paraded jars and bottles of their famous maple syrup, biscuits, and bags of Moose droppings; Madagascar had loads of multi-coloured bags, hats and traditional dresses; Kenya offered shoulder bags and brightly printed fabrics; Israel brought cut flowers, bath salts, and more.
Belgian Beers, Cuban Rum, Mexican Tequila, St George Beer to Beaujolais Nouveau 2009
Gourmets had a field day stall hopping, from checking out frothy Belgian beers like Duvel and Hoegaarden; downing shots of fiery Cuban rum, Mexican tequila, Brazilian caipirinha, Russian and Swedish vodka; tasting Biltong beer, sipping glasses of French Beaujolais Nouveau 2009, or enjoying St George Beer, Ethiopia’s leading beverage.
The myriad international food stations invitingly dished out scrumptious fare such as Indonesian fried noodles and satays, Norwegian smoked salmon and egg-salmon sandwiches, Spanish tapas, or scores of hard-to-resist, melt-in-the mouth desserts like German küchen, Palestinian sweetmeats, or pancakes drizzled with Canadian maple syrup, finished off with Ethiopian buna (coffee), kolo (roasted barley) and bekolo (popcorn).
An activity area for children featured a bouncy castle, throwing games, balloons, and other fun stops.
All takings from entrance ticket sales to stall earnings went to charity.
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