Ethiopians celebrate a holiday called Buhé (pronounced boo HAY). Buhé is celebrated on August 19th (or 20th during leap year) which is during the rainy season in Ethiopia. On the night before Buhé, households get bread dough ready for baking the next day.
When night falls on August 19, it is customary for groups of children go from door to door asking for bread or dough. They sing a song called “Hoya Hoye” along with other songs and jump up and down until they get their treat. In recent years, these children have begun to ask for money. Unlike, the U.S. Halloween celebration, Ethiopian children do not dress up in costumes.
During the night each house lights small bonfires of twigs and everyone gathers around the flames. Parts of this celebration are said to come from the story of the Lost Children who wandered away and were found by torch light and given bread to eat.
Injera is a traditional Ethiopian flat bread generally made from several different flours including teff, whole wheat flour, barley, rice, and/or corn meal. This bread can take several days to make. The dough is left to ferment from one to three days creating a bread that tastes similar to sour dough bread. This bread is then cooked on a hot griddle on one side only. Injera is a very thin bread with a soft texture that is perfect for scooping up soups and stews.