The Chairman of the Ethiopian Community in Qatar, Nebiyou Gezahagne, honouring Addis Mulat for her services to the community in Doha.

Doha: Members of the Ethiopian Diaspora in Qatar marked the Ethiopian New Year recently with spirited celebrations that brought out thousands for an evening featuring the rich culture, music and food of the East African nation.

The event, held at the Ezdan Hall, was kicked off with a sombre moment with the community holding a memorial and a candle light vigil for the late Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, who passed away on August 20 and whose funeral ceremony on September 2 saw tremendous public adulation.

The chairman of the Ethiopian Community in Qatar, Nebiyou Gezahagne, then took to the stage and welcomed his countrymen. A group of children captivated the audience with renderings of traditional Ethiopian New Year song while passing by the moved audience and collecting contributions.

The Ethiopian calendar Ge’ez is the principal calendar used in Ethiopia while the New Year falls on September 11 except for leap years when it moves to the next day. Gezahagne said that the number of Ethiopians in Qatar continues to swell and is currently estimated to be around 15,000 and talks are on-going to open an embassy in Doha. He said the community will contribute QR20,000 more to the collected funds and offered to an NGO working on assisting orphans in Ethiopia.

A series of felicitations then took the centre stage as ex-community First Secretary Khalid Legesse presented exceptional community service awards to Masho Hagos and Addis Mulat. The awards, sent by the Ethiopian Embassy in Kuwait, recognise standout Ethiopians who extend their cooperation and assistance to fellow countrypersons.

The evening then gave way to fun filled activities including traditional games, folk music and typical Ethiopian food provided by Ethiopian restaurants in Qatar including Promise Ethiopia, Abysinia, Habesha and Spoon and Fork.

The Peninsula