Meskel Square (Amharic: መስቀል አደባባይ, romanized: mesik’el ādebabay, lit. ’Cross Square’) is a public square in the city of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It is often a site for public gatherings or for demonstrations and festivals, notably, the Meskel Festival from which it takes its name.
The Meskel Festival has been celebrated for over 1,600 years.[1] The word “Meskel” means “cross” and the festival commemorates the moment when the crucifix was revealed to Empress Helena of Constantinople, mother of Constantine the Great.