Eritrea. Asmara. September square. Meskel is the most important religious feast for the orthodox church in Eritrea. It takes place every year on september 27. Once the woodshed is burned, the people runs to the furnace to collect unburn wood and pick up ashes to draw a holy black cross on their foreheads. Crowd leaves the place at the end of the ceremony. The crowd is a kaleidoscope of colors. © 2002 Didier Ruef