The Horse Association

One of the workers on the 5 F's (The Fruit, Forage and Forest for Farm Family Project, who we have our business visas under with SIM) project grandmother died. It was our first experience of viewing a funeral from here (although we maintained a distance out of respect).

There were thousands of people there and hundreds of decorated horses. It was all at the Ethiopian Orthodox church down the road. The Littles and I observed and noticed the beautiful horses.

The older the person who passes away, the bigger the funeral (as long as one remains part of society's mainstream religion). Having a big funeral is a high honor and something that our people think about and desire.

As Jon passed it on the way to work, he started to ask questions and heard that the horse owners were all part of an association and they go out riding on a regular basis and then show their support at public events. Jon said the way it was described, it is just like our motorcycle gangs in the USA. 

The Littles and I sat outside our gate as the rains rolled in, watching the procession of horses and riders after the funeral. 

We were amazed at the tradition and beauty of the procession, as they paraded by, I felt like we had a window into something secret and special. Like we were intruding somewhere sacred.

The Littles and I watched, awestruck, until it was complete.