The objective of this research is to clarify the purpose of dance in Ethiopia through examining the Ethiopian New Year's Festivals. At first, I researched the Ethiopian New Year's festival’s ceremonies in detail and then analyzed style, rhythm, and the movements of the dance. Ethiopia is a very "complex concept" with over 80 ethnic groups and languages and multiple religions. This culture developed because Ethiopia has been an independent country for 3,000 years. The development of Ethiopia's unique cultural practices and distinctive character arose from the period of 3 B.C. and was further influenced by the spread of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church starting in 4 A.D. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church had great influence on the formation of Ethiopia as a nation and was the national religion until the Ethiopian Empire collapsed in 1975. However, political intervention of religion led into a decay of ethnic culture and ideas, contributing to the decline of traditional faith. How is such a "complex concept" reflected in society and dance?I researched the Ethiopian New Year’s festivals in Addis Ababa on September 11 in 2014. The Ethiopian New Year "Enkutatash" is one of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church holidays, but people have been celebrating with ethnic customs differing from church rituals. It was revealed that the cause was a difference in interpretation of meaning and etiquette of the festivals among church officials who could understand Ge’ez language and those who could not. Additionally, the field study showed that in dances used in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church ceremonies, included both, characteristics of the religious and the ethnic dance. This may reflect ethnic culture and ideas. It became clear that the Ethiopian Orthodox Church accepted people, incorporating their ethnic culture, ethnic customs, and ethnic ideas in a tolerant position in connection with political intervention of religion. As a result, dance in Ethiopian New Year's festivals has two sides, religious and ethnic, and reflects the complex relationship between ethnicity and state through religion. Ethiopia is a drastically developing country, and its economy is developing. Along with this, people's lives have changed greatly, especially as the interest in religion among young people and opportunities for traditional dance have become less than before. In the future, I would like to consider how the role of dance will change in Ethiopia and what role dance will play through Ethiopian society.
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