萨缪尔·盖塔丘·韦尔基特，埃塞俄比亚——数百万埃塞俄比亚基督徒聚集庆祝梅斯克尔节，这一宗教节日纪念罗马皇后海伦娜在4世纪发现真十字架，尽管北部动荡的提格雷地区战火仍在继续。
SAMUEL GETACHEW WELKITE, Ethiopia — Millions of Christians in Ethiopia gathered to celebrate Meskel, a religious holiday that commemorates the discovery of the True Cross by the Roman empress Helena in the 4th century, even as fighting continued in the troubled northern region of Tigray.
梅斯克尔节在埃塞俄比亚这个以农业为主的社会中具有额外意义，因为它与埃塞俄比亚新年一起，标志着雨季的结束和春天的开始。
Meskel holds added significance in Ethiopia, a largely agrarian society, as it marks, along with the Ethiopian New Year, the end of the rainy season and the beginning of spring.
今年的庆祝活动正值埃塞俄比亚再次面临其遥远北部动荡的提格雷地区的冲突，冲突已蔓延至邻近的阿姆哈拉和阿法尔地区。人们担心战事可能将邻国厄立特里亚作为代理人卷入其中。
This year’s celebration comes as Ethiopia is once again facing conflict in its far northern and volatile region of Tigray, which has since spilled over into neighboring Amhara and Afar regions. There are fears the fighting could draw in neighboring Eritrea as a proxy actor.
基布罗姆·约汉内斯从丹麦远道而来，原本打算在提格雷的阿迪格拉特庆祝节日，与大家庭团聚。但他原本预料到的冲突在埃塞俄比亚政府军与效忠于提格雷人民解放阵线的武装之间爆发后，前往该动荡地区的航班突然取消。
Kibrom Yohannes had traveled from Denmark to mark the holiday in Adigrat in Tigray and celebrate with his extended family. But his flight to the troubled region was suddenly canceled after a conflict he had feared erupted between Ethiopian government troops and forces loyal to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front.
于是，他来到西南部城镇韦尔基特，与陌生人一起庆祝，却心系提格雷的家人。
Instead, he came to the southwestern town of Welkite to celebrate with strangers while worrying about his family in Tigray.
“我年迈的母亲在提格雷，还有正在探亲的妻子和我们的大家庭。我五年没见到他们大多数人了，还给母亲带了糖尿病药物。现在航班中断，我担心她的病情恶化，”他在篝火旁庆祝梅斯克尔节时告诉美联社。
“My elderly mother is in Tigray, along with my wife, who is visiting, and our extended family. I had not seen most of them for five years, and I had brought diabetes medication for my mother. Now, with the interruption of flights, I am worried about her condition worsening,” he told The Associated Press as he celebrated Meskel around a bonfire.
梅斯克尔节被联合国教科文组织列为人类非物质文化遗产，在该国南部庆祝得尤为热烈，成千上万的人返回家乡与亲友共度佳节。
Recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, Meskel is celebrated with added fervor in the south of the country, with hundreds of thousands returning to their home regions to observe the holiday with friends and family.
多伦多律师特克勒马里亚姆·萨赫莱马里亚姆第二年来到韦尔基特探访，他表示今年的游客较少，但仍被充满盛大仪式和华丽场面的庆祝活动深深震撼。
Teklemariam Sahlemariam, a Toronto-based lawyer visiting Welkite for the second year, said he had seen fewer visitors this year but was nevertheless overwhelmed by the celebrations, which were filled with pomp and pageantry.
在埃塞俄比亚首都亚的斯亚贝巴，数千人聚集在梅斯克尔广场，在巨大的篝火被点燃前进行祈祷。
In Addis Ababa , the Ethiopian capital, thousands of people gathered in Meskel Square, where they prayed before a huge bonfire was lit.
对许多人来说，梅斯克尔节仍是一个神圣的年度节日，于9月27日和28日庆祝，是埃塞俄比亚正统基督徒极其珍视的盛宴。庆祝活动以传统仪式为标志，包括点燃篝火，在一些社区还会宰杀动物。
For many, Meskel remains a sacred annual holy day, celebrated on Sept. 27 and 28 as a deeply cherished feast for Ethiopian Orthodox Christians. The celebration is marked by traditional rituals, including the lighting of the bonfire and, in some communities, the slaughtering of animals.
“圣十字架是我们的主和救世主耶稣基督战胜罪恶和死亡、通过复活获得胜利的有力工具，”信徒们在标志着该节日的祈祷和宗教仪式中说道。
“The Holy Cross is the powerful instrument through which our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, conquered sin and death, triumphing through His resurrection,” the faithful say in prayers and religious observances marking the feast.
“和平对一切至关重要；没有和平，我们既无法庆祝节日，也无法进行有意义的对话，”22岁的正教会执事菲克雷亚布·莱贝扎说。
“Peace is essential for everything; without it, we can neither celebrate our holidays nor engage in meaningful dialogue,” said Fikreab Lebeza, 22, an Orthodox Church deacon.
在提格雷战争结束后，人们对战争和冲突的担忧再次升温，许多埃塞俄比亚人今年都在祈求和平。那场战争于2022年结束，造成数千人死亡、百万人流离失所。
Many Ethiopians are offering prayers for peace this year amid renewed fears of war and conflict following the Tigray war, which ended in 2022 after killing thousands and displacing more than a million people.
“和平对我们国家至关重要。作为一个深植于信仰和价值观的民族，我们埃塞俄比亚人应在梅斯克尔节等神圣庆典中为和平献上诚挚祈祷。我今天也来到这里祈祷，祈求上帝让和平降临我们的国家，”亚的斯亚贝巴商人萨拉·丁卡耶胡，43岁，说道。
“Peace is vital for our country. As a people deeply rooted in faith and values, we Ethiopians should offer earnest prayers for peace during sacred celebrations such as Meskel. I, too, have come here today to pray and ask God for peace to reign over our nation,” said Sara Dinkayehu, 43, a merchant in Addis Ababa.