The place God calls you is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet.
-Buechner

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Rich Ethiopia

While Ethiopia may not present it's riches or wealth in gold, silver, and diamonds, I never knew history to carry a price tag.

The meaning of the Ethiopian flag


Ethiopia is one of the oldest countries in the world, and the only African country that has no history of colonization. Upon their independence, many African countries adopted the colors of the Ethiopian flag - green, yellow and red - that became known as the Pan-African colors.

The official flag of Ethiopia consists of three equal and horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and red with a yellow pentagram and single yellow rays emanating from the angles between the points on a light blue disk centered on the three bands.

The significance of the colors on the Ethiopian flag are interpreted to have a connection to the Holy Trinity, as well as the three main provinces of Ethiopia. The red stripe stands for power, faith and blood. The yellow strip symbolizes peace, natural wealth and love. The green stripe represents the land and hope.

The yellow pentagram on the blue disk, also known as the National Coat of Arms, is a symbol of the current government; it is intended to reflect the desire of the nations, nationalities and peoples of Ethiopia, as well as of its religious communities, to live together in unity and equality. The star represents unity of the people and the races that make up Ethiopia. The five rays on the outside of the star represent prosperity, and the blue disk represents peace.

(courtesy of Unicef-Ethiopia)

1 comment:

Steve Tait said...

Your research is taking you in directions and to places that few will go. All of this is a wonderful way to prepare for the transition that will surely come one of these days "soon" (are relative term, as you know).

Here is another link that you may find interesting (http://www.kbears.com/ethiopia/anthemtext.html). Loosen up those vocal chords!