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. The firemen use a water canon to cool the furnace down to prevent accidents and avoid the mad crowd to get burned by extreme hot ashes. © 2002 Didier Ruef