April 16, 2011

How to Read the Ethiopic Geez Fidel Alphabet

Do you want to read Ethiopian alphabet or want to write your name in Geez Fidel. The first important step to is being familiar with the Ethiopian alphabet. The Ethiopian alphabets are properly termed as Geez Fidel and consist of about 28-30 alphabets. The first alphabet or Fidel is H and its name is HOY. Each alphabet in fact has its own name and was so named from the shape of the alphabet and figure it represents. For example the letter M means water and shape is like the ancient Egyptian water ripple. In fact the latin M is derived from it. Without no doudt Ethiopians exported the letter or alphabets a long time ago into Arabia, Egypt and Europe (for more imformation on this please refer to Ayele Bikeri's Ethiopic An African Writing System). The first Fidel is H and the seven different forms are Ha Hu Hi Ha Hay He and Ho. Rare forms of some alphabets have been excluded for simplicity. There is no need to spell words because the vowels are incorporated within the consonant by giving the alphabet ሀ (H) a leg, a ring, ring and leg, a broken side or a side mark. The vowel order does not change: ሀ(Ha) ሁ(Hu) ሂ(Hi) ሃ(Ha) ሄ(Hay) ህ(He) ሆ(Ho) Now how do you write Hahahahaha? ሀሀሀሀሀ Very easy!!! When Santa says HoHoHo how do you write it in Ethiopian? Its ሆሆሆ very easy!!! The donkey brays HeHoHeHoHeHo so how do you write it in Ethiopic or Ethiopian alphabet? very easy its ህሆህሆህሆ Try the following very easy test. If you pass it you can now read Ethiopic Geez Fidel alphabets and words!!! Now write in Ethiopic: He who? Hohoho hay Answer:ሂ ሁ? ሆሆሆ ሄ The same system applies to the rest of the alphabets called Fidel in Ethiopian. Try the second letter L called Lawe in Ethiopic!
Hoy h ሀ ሁ ሂ ሃ ሄ ህ ሆ Läwe l ለ ሉ ሊ ላ ሌ ል ሎ Ḥäwt ḥ ሐ ሑ ሒ ሓ ሔ ሕ ሖ May m መ ሙ ሚ ማ ሜ ም ሞ Śäwt ś ሠ ሡ ሢ ሣ ሤ ሥ ሦ Rəʾs r ረ ሩ ሪ ራ ሬ ር ሮ Sat s ሰ ሱ ሲ ሳ ሴ ስ ሶ Ḳaf ḳ ቀ ቁ ቂ ቃ ቄ ቅ ቆ Bet b በ ቡ ቢ ባ ቤ ብ ቦ Täwe t ተ ቱ ቲ ታ ቴ ት ቶ Ḫarm ḫ ኀ ኁ ኂ ኃ ኄ ኅ ኆ Nähas n ነ ኑ ኒ ና ኔ ን ኖ ʾÄlf ʾ አ ኡ ኢ ኣ ኤ እ ኦ Kaf k ከ ኩ ኪ ካ ኬ ክ ኮ Wäwe w ወ ዉ ዊ ዋ ዌ ው ዎ ʿÄyn ʿ ዐ ዑ ዒ ዓ ዔ ዕ ዖ Zäy z ዘ ዙ ዚ ዛ ዜ ዝ ዞ Yämän y የ ዩ ዪ ያ ዬ ይ ዮ Dänt d ደ ዱ ዲ ዳ ዴ ድ ዶ Gäml g ገ ጉ ጊ ጋ ጌ ግ ጎ Ṭäyt ṭ ጠ ጡ ጢ ጣ ጤ ጥ ጦ P̣äyt p̣ ጰ ጱ ጲ ጳ ጴ ጵ ጶ Ṣädäy ṣ ጸ ጹ ጺ ጻ ጼ ጽ ጾ Ṣ́äppä ṣ́ ፀ ፁ ፂ ፃ ፄ ፅ ፆ Äf f ፈ ፉ ፊ ፋ ፌ ፍ ፎ Psa p ፐ ፑ ፒ ፓ ፔ ፕ ፖ

1967 Graduates of St. Joseph High School Ethiopia


In the year 1967 Anno Domini, St. Joseph High School graduated the above students. These students have dispersed across the globe and made the world a more peaceful world to live in. Among them are their mentors (left to right) Brother Alfred, Brother Francis and Brother Eugene (?). All continued to higher learning in Engineering, Science, Law, Medicine and Business. The site of the above picture was at the Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Grand Palace (Menelik Adarash Bete Mengest) after the Diploma and Award ceremony by Emperor Haile Selassie I. One of the above students on the left is the author of the Blog Ethiopedia.blogspot.com


The 12th Grade Graduate Students are:


Basliel Wolde Gabriel; Artist for Josephite paper. Began Science Club
Buzuayehu Tedla
Marcello Capogrosso
Emanuel Cohen; He was dropped off at school in different cars
Faisal Shash
Farshad Farhoumand; His father gave the Emperor good teeth
Fikre Menbere; The Philosopher
Mebrahtu Kidane Mariam
Mulugeta Kebede
Nicholas Pangalos; The second strongest
Peter Sabadka; The strongest (not in photo)
Samuel Aberra; The Bodybuilder. Ate raw eggs for lunch
Zoran Susteric; The smartest guy from Yugoslavia (not in Photo)
Tamrat Beyene
Tesfu Haile Yesus
Tewolde Mekonnen
Branislav Vukadinovic
Yosef Yacob
Zaiyesus Abraham; nickname was "Shakespeare"

Negussu Tamrat* American Field Service Scholar
Berhane Gila* American Field Service Scholar
Girma Wolde Mariam* American Field Service Scholar
Mekonnen Assefa* American Field Service Scholar

March 26, 2011

Stamps of Ethiopia Volume 3

The top stamps were issued at the Golden Jubilee or the 50th Anniversary of the marriage of Emperor Haile Selassie and Empress Itegue Menen (1911-1961). The second row of stamps were issued in August 1929 and depicts the plane called Nessre Tafari meaning the Teferi Eagle. Eritrea at this time is not part of Ethiopia and the monetary value is the Guerche (derived from the Arabic Gerch). The stamps (last rows) were issued in 1928 during the reign of Empress Zewditu and Ras Teferi and demonstrates the wildlife of the country and notable Ethiopians, including Zewditu and Teferi (Tafari). Click on the image for enhanced and enlarged view of these stamps.

March 24, 2011

Stamps of "Ethiopia" Volume 2

These series is really the most ridiculous stamps bearing the name of the Holy Land of Ethiopia. The Italian Fascists were in Ethiopia fighting for survival for 5 years but they still managed to produce these stamps before they melted away back to Italia Irredenta where they came from!The Arabic script reads "Al Balad El Habasha" which means Country of the Habash or Abyssinian while the year reads May 9 1936, the date the Italians declared Ethiopia as a colony. They entered Addis Ababa on May 5 1936 and declared the next day May 6 as Occupation of Ethiopia. Mussolini declared Ethiopia an Italian province. Victor Emanuel III, shown below, was proclaimed as the new Emperor of Ethiopia. This is quite an accomplishment even though the Italian Fascists never colonized the country except for the complicated case of Eritrea (also known as Baher Midri, Baher Meder, Mereb Melash, Ertra).

March 23, 2011

Life: Do Not Worry Cheer Up and Be Happy!!!!

As the human population of the earth increases uncontrollably, so does all the old problems and new emerging problems that have to be dealt with. Sometimes however, one is cornered and has no weapons left to fight the encroaching phenomenon. Some take the easy way out by jumping from the highest buildings or the deepest sea. Others use myriads of ways or a thousand ways to die and leave the earth for another wonderful far-away planet that had been etched in their imaginations. But the tough human spirit is to adapt and not to perish. Ethiopedia has therefore posted this copyrighted poem or fighter's chants to conquer the evil Great Ones that may come in your path as you journey through life. It may be earthquakes, Tsunami, Joblessness, Anger, Prejudice, Hatered etc. Please read it and dance your way until victory!

Copyrighted 1988 Basliel Wolde Gabriel

Stamps of Ethiopia Volume 1

In this section, a series of Ethiopian stamps will be posted for those who are not familiar with the very early stamps issued by Ethiopia. The earliest stamps were issued at the time of Emperor Menelik.