Adey abeba

In September golden adey abeba flowers flood the highlands, heralding the end of the rainy season and the Ethiopian New Year.

A plant of the daisy family, a relative of the bur-marigolds of European wetlands, which covers the meadows and roadsides of the Ethiopian Highlands. At the end of the rainy season it bursts into flower en masse with bright yellow flower heads, laying golden carpets across the mountain slopes. Flowering falls in September, when Ethiopia celebrates its New Year, Enkutatash, and the Meskel festival. The Amharic word “abeba” simply means “flower”.

Significance in the country

During Enkutatash, girls sing the song “Abebayehosh” and hand out bouquets of adey abeba to family and neighbours for good luck; the flower also decorates the demera bonfires lit for Meskel and is the unofficial national flower.

Where it grows

In the highlands above about 1,800 m – in Amhara, Tigray, Oromia and the highlands of the Southern Nations region; in September it blooms even on vacant lots and roadsides in Addis Ababa.

More: Wikipedia (en)