In family life, the man is most important.
There are three traditional Amharic marriage types: qurban, damoz, and kal kidan. (Amhara: 2014) Girls will be wed around the age of fourteen, so the man can tame her. The girl will marry a man three to five years older than her. In marriages, the child’s name is given by the mother. The mother will give the baby a name based on a feeling, a future wish, or an event that is currently happening. The baby will be breast-fed for two years (Amhara - Marriage and Family: 2014). Both qurban and kad kilan are normally arranged by parents.
Kal kidan is also known as serat or semanya (“eighty”). It is marriage by civil contract. It is the most common form of marriage by far. However, many of these marriages end in divorce.
Qurban marriages are church marriages, which to the Amhara are sacred. There is no divorce in this marriage, even after one partner dies (only on very, very, very, very rare occasions will you get out of this marriage). Therefore, this is the least common form of marriage. Very often the couples who go through qurban marriage are already long married through kal kidan marriage and have children. Qurban is also the only type of marriage in which an Ethiopian Orthodox priest partakes.
The marriage of the lowest status is damoz. Damoz marriage is where the women is paid to be the wife- however temporarily (usually only one or two months). The wife in this arrangement does not share the husbands land, though the children of these unions are true children. Damoz marriage was outlawed in the middle of the twentieth century, however people continue to marry this way. (Amhara: 2014)
Amharic society is formal, even in close friendships. There are certain rules of society and manner/common courtesy everyone must follow, based on their social status. Large families are highly respected. They looks at children as blessings from God. The children will support their parents financially when they grow up (Amhara: 2014). Children have no responsibilities until they are five years old, but after they are thrown head first into all sorts of chores and duties (girls will take on adult responsibilities at the age of five, and boys will take on adult responsibilities at the age of seven). Girls take care of babies, cook, clean, and gather wood. Boys learn to farm, guard livestock, and guard against wild animals with slingshots. If the either gender fails to do their duties, they will immediately be yelled at and beaten. Boys may also be educated, usually starting at age eleven. Boys will play together before, and will test themselves and each other through bravery and physical strength tests. Girls grow up being told to be shy. Children may also play house. When they become teenagers, boys will be known as gobez, strong, handsome, warriors. Female teenagers are addressed “qonjo” or beautiful, compared to “leja-gered” (servant-maid) as little girls.
The boys will also play games. On the Baptism of Jesus festival (Temqet or Timqet), the boys will play guks, a game where they try to knock each other off of horses with blunt spears and leather shields. They play hockey around Christmas (Ledet), known as genna. They even have a specific term for boasting: fukkara (Amhara - Marriage and Family: 2014).
This is the average day for the Amhara: "The day begins at dawn. The woman boils the water, roasts the coffee beans, and pounds them into the grounds that are brewed for the morning coffee. She prepares the breakfast, which is often the leftovers from dinner the night before. The children eat first and are sent on their errands that contribute to the tasks of the household. Then the husband eats his breakfast. In the city, the husband goes off to work, if he has work, while the wife remains at home caring for her children and the children of relatives and friends. Often women have their own jobs; many women own coffee or beer houses or work in hair salons. One commonly sees an unrelated child working in the house, taking care of a baby and doing simple household chores. This child may be an orphan or one who was abandoned in the streets of Addis Ababa because of extreme poverty."
The Amhara live in cold places with little oxygen because of high altitudes. The capital city, Addis Ababa, is 7,500 feet up in the air. Therefore, Amharic clothing is warm. They normally do not wear traditional Amharic clothing, instead, they usually they wear clothes from China. Some still wear the traditional clothing though, which is trousers, a long shirt, and a wrap made of soft cotton. This wrap is known as a gabi. Both boys and girls wear this style of clothing. In the cities, the people wear shoes, but the Amhara in the country usually don’t (Amhara: 2014).
There are three traditional Amharic marriage types: qurban, damoz, and kal kidan. (Amhara: 2014) Girls will be wed around the age of fourteen, so the man can tame her. The girl will marry a man three to five years older than her. In marriages, the child’s name is given by the mother. The mother will give the baby a name based on a feeling, a future wish, or an event that is currently happening. The baby will be breast-fed for two years (Amhara - Marriage and Family: 2014). Both qurban and kad kilan are normally arranged by parents.
Kal kidan is also known as serat or semanya (“eighty”). It is marriage by civil contract. It is the most common form of marriage by far. However, many of these marriages end in divorce.
Qurban marriages are church marriages, which to the Amhara are sacred. There is no divorce in this marriage, even after one partner dies (only on very, very, very, very rare occasions will you get out of this marriage). Therefore, this is the least common form of marriage. Very often the couples who go through qurban marriage are already long married through kal kidan marriage and have children. Qurban is also the only type of marriage in which an Ethiopian Orthodox priest partakes.
The marriage of the lowest status is damoz. Damoz marriage is where the women is paid to be the wife- however temporarily (usually only one or two months). The wife in this arrangement does not share the husbands land, though the children of these unions are true children. Damoz marriage was outlawed in the middle of the twentieth century, however people continue to marry this way. (Amhara: 2014)
Amharic society is formal, even in close friendships. There are certain rules of society and manner/common courtesy everyone must follow, based on their social status. Large families are highly respected. They looks at children as blessings from God. The children will support their parents financially when they grow up (Amhara: 2014). Children have no responsibilities until they are five years old, but after they are thrown head first into all sorts of chores and duties (girls will take on adult responsibilities at the age of five, and boys will take on adult responsibilities at the age of seven). Girls take care of babies, cook, clean, and gather wood. Boys learn to farm, guard livestock, and guard against wild animals with slingshots. If the either gender fails to do their duties, they will immediately be yelled at and beaten. Boys may also be educated, usually starting at age eleven. Boys will play together before, and will test themselves and each other through bravery and physical strength tests. Girls grow up being told to be shy. Children may also play house. When they become teenagers, boys will be known as gobez, strong, handsome, warriors. Female teenagers are addressed “qonjo” or beautiful, compared to “leja-gered” (servant-maid) as little girls.
The boys will also play games. On the Baptism of Jesus festival (Temqet or Timqet), the boys will play guks, a game where they try to knock each other off of horses with blunt spears and leather shields. They play hockey around Christmas (Ledet), known as genna. They even have a specific term for boasting: fukkara (Amhara - Marriage and Family: 2014).
This is the average day for the Amhara: "The day begins at dawn. The woman boils the water, roasts the coffee beans, and pounds them into the grounds that are brewed for the morning coffee. She prepares the breakfast, which is often the leftovers from dinner the night before. The children eat first and are sent on their errands that contribute to the tasks of the household. Then the husband eats his breakfast. In the city, the husband goes off to work, if he has work, while the wife remains at home caring for her children and the children of relatives and friends. Often women have their own jobs; many women own coffee or beer houses or work in hair salons. One commonly sees an unrelated child working in the house, taking care of a baby and doing simple household chores. This child may be an orphan or one who was abandoned in the streets of Addis Ababa because of extreme poverty."
The Amhara live in cold places with little oxygen because of high altitudes. The capital city, Addis Ababa, is 7,500 feet up in the air. Therefore, Amharic clothing is warm. They normally do not wear traditional Amharic clothing, instead, they usually they wear clothes from China. Some still wear the traditional clothing though, which is trousers, a long shirt, and a wrap made of soft cotton. This wrap is known as a gabi. Both boys and girls wear this style of clothing. In the cities, the people wear shoes, but the Amhara in the country usually don’t (Amhara: 2014).