Melkam Sigd Bahal – Traditional Greetings for the Sigd Holiday
Ono Academic College commemorates the Holiday of Sigd, which this year takes place from sunset on November 27th to sunset on November 28th. The Sigd holiday is marked annually, exactly fifty days after Yom Kippur, on the 29th day of the Hebrew month of Cheshvan. This year however it is pushed forward to Thursday because it falls on the Sabbath.
Sigd is a fast day, accompanied by purification and renewal. At the center of the holiday is the renewal of the covenant between the children of Israel and God. The holiday is marked with readings from the holy Ethiopian Jewish text, the Mäṣḥafä Kedus, blessings, and prayers for redemption. The ceremony is held on the peak of a tall mountain, symbolically standing in for Mount Sinai, where the Torah was originally given to the children of Israel. The service is administered by the priests (Keisim) of the community.
The traditional Amharic language Sigd greetings is Melkam Sigd Bahal. So, we wish you a meaningful Sigd “መልካም የስግድ በዓል!”
