Music and Dance
Among Ethiopia's culture, customs, and etiquette are music and dance. St. Yared is the Ethiopian patron saint of church music, and in every church, music serves to give atmosphere to the ritual and to heighten the personal experience. Every church has its own drums, covered with decorated material, and its own sistra, metal rattles that date back hundreds of years. These accompany the chanting of the priests, along with the beating of the prayer sticks and the clapping of hands.
Out in the community, musical instruments play a social and entertaining role. The single-stringed Masenko is played by minstrels who sing of the life around them and invent calypso-like, topical verses on the spot. The Kirar is a lyre-like plucked instrument with 5 or 6 strings, while the Begenna is a portable harp. Up in the hills, boys are shepherds, looking after cattle and sheep whilst playing on the Washint, a simple reed flute played with a single hand.
The Ethiopian people know and love their folk songs. Singing is high-pitched and shrill and is frequently accompanied by exciting ululation, especially at weddings and other joyful occasions. In addition to more traditional styles, Ethiopians also listen to popular music, where the country boasts a whole host of contemporary artists, some of whom are internationally recognized, such as Gigi. Mainstream music from the West has also infiltrated Ethiopian culture where you can hear Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber alongside Ethiopia’s man of the moment, Teddy Afro on the radio!
No joyous occasion passes without the Ethiopians indulging in their unique form of dancing. Each ethnic group has its own individual style of dancing (and a costume that accompanies it) to match its own particular form of music. In the north of Ethiopia, people dance mainly with their upper bodies, moving their heads, necks, shoulders, and chests to the rhythm. As you move further down the country, however, gradually more of the lower body is incorporated into the dance, for example, the waist and legs.