THE GLORY OF THE CORONATION
THE GLORY OF THE CORONATIONRastafari love, blessings, and fulljoy to one and all, in honour of the 90th Coronation Anniversary of the crowning of His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie 1st and Empress Menen Wallatta Giyorgis. Oh Daughter of Zion, rejoice all Rastafari faithful rejoice, sons and daughters of the Most High rejoice. Let God be praised, let God be honoured, let God be revered and let God be glorified in the crowning, name and revelation of:
His Imperial Majesty
Emperor Haile Selassie 1st
King and kings of Ethiopia
The Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Root of David has Prevailed
Elect of God
JAH! RAS TAFARI! HAILE SELASSIE I!
NEW DAY, NEW TIME
For many Rastafari in this day, Yesus Kristos (Jesus Christ) revealed Himself in the personality of His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie 1st ~ So be it!
For many Rastafari in this day was the day and coming of the Lord God Almighty in Name and Revelation of His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie 1st ~ Then let God be praised!
For many Rastafari this is the day of the Revelation of Jesus Christ in a new name ~ Then may the Lord and His salvation be known!
All in all, for Rastafari, the fullness and glory of God is known in Spirit and truth now on earth as it is in heaven, in this day. This is the day we declare His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie 1st as:
The life-mirrored personification of the Glory of God, the Elect of God, The Almighty Covenant Person of the Holy Trinity, The Second Coming of the Seed of David in all Power, The revelation of the Ever-Living Glory.
For in this day God is Praised, God is Honoured, God is Revered, and God is Glorified in the name of Haile Selassie 1st.
And so, let us honour the King and Queen, the Emperor and Empress and give the Lord God Almighty all the Glory! O Jah! Rastafari! Haile Selassie I!
THE CORONATION OF HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY EMPEROR HAILE SELASSIE 1ST AND EMPRESS MENEN WALLATTA GIYORGIS
“The preparations for the coronation ceremony of Emperor Haile Selassie I and Empress Menen Asfaw were quite elaborate. According to the National Geographic Magazine of June 1931, several streets in the capital were asphalted for the occasion, electric lights were installed, and eucalyptus fences were constructed to hide round “tukul” huts. Arches were erected along the route that the Emperor and Empress were to take, and flags and bunting were strung up for the celebration.
The police and Imperial Bodyguard were transformed with new khaki uniforms. A triangular coronation monument was erected to commemorate Emperor Haile Selassie I, whose name translated means Power of the Trinity. The upcoming grand coronation would have provided an opportunity for many relatives of both Menen and Tafari to journey to Addis Ababa. This would have been a busy time for the imminent Empress, as she ensured that her visitors were comfortably accommodated. There were several photographs of the immediate and extended family taken at this time by Armenian court photographers, Haigaz and Tony Boyadjians.
To provide seating for 700 guests, a large auditorium was constructed on the western side of St. George’s Church. Inside, two thrones were placed one-third of the way into the hall and some distance apart. His Majesty’s throne was decorated in red and gold, while Her Majesty’s was decorated in blue and gold. For seven days and nights prior to the coronation ceremony, forty-nine bishops and priests in groups of seven chanted the nine Psalms of David at seven stations around St. George‘s Church.
On Tikimt 22, 1923 (November 1, 1930), the day before his coronation, Ras Tafari, in a lengthy speech, paid tribute to the deceased Emperor Menelik II. In the circle in front of St. George’s Church, the visiting Duke of Gloucester of Britain unveiled a gilded statue of Emperor Menelik II riding a horse. On that same day, at midnight, the future Emperor, Empress, family members and nobles attended a church service at St. George‘s for devotional prayer. On the following morning, Tikimt 23, 1923 (November 2, 1930), at 7:00 AM the foreign guests arrived, many accompanied by Ethiopian nobility, and were seated in the church.
Coronation of Emperor Haile Selassie 1st
At 7:30 AM on Tikimt 23, 1923 (November 2, 1930), Their Majesties, dressed in white silken communion robes, emerged from the church behind the incense bearers. Once the Emperor was seated on his throne in the temporary auditorium, the silence was broken by His Holiness Abuna Kyrillos, who proclaimed, “Ye princes and ministers, ye nobles and chiefs of the army, ye soldiers and people of Ethiopia, and ye doctors and chiefs of the clergy, ye professors and priests, look ye upon our Emperor Haile Selassie the First, descended from the dynasty of Menelik the First, who was born of Solomon and of the Queen of Sheba, a dynasty perpetuated without interruption from that time to King Sahle Selassie and to our times.”
The Emperor then gave his sacred vow to uphold the Orthodox religion, to uphold and administer the laws of the land for the betterment of the Ethiopian people, to maintain the integrity of Ethiopia, and to found schools for developing the spiritual and material welfare of his subjects. In a ceremony lasting five hours, Emperor Haile Selassie I was covered in gold-embroidered scarlet vestments and was then presented with a gold sword studded with precious stones and an imperial sceptre made of gold and ivory. In addition, a golden globe of the world, a diamond-encrusted ring, and two traditional lances filigreed in gold were bestowed upon His Majesty. With each of these presentations, an anointment of sacred oil was made to the imperial head, brow, and shoulders. The magnificent crown, made of gold and encrusted with diamonds and emeralds, was then placed upon his head and Abuna Kyrillos proclaimed, “That God may make this crown a crown of sanctity and glory. That by the grace and the blessing, which we have given you, may you have an unshaken faith and a pure heart, in order that you may inherit the crown eternal. So be it.”
The new Emperor’s fourteen-year-old son Asfa Wossen then bowed down before his father, pledging his support, as he became the Crown Prince. The Emperor’s second son, six-year-old Prince Mekonnen then paid his respects to his father. The national anthem was played while 101 cannons roared and thousands of loyal subjects surrounding the church cheered in admiration.”
Coronation of Empress Menen Wallatta Giyorgis
After the ceremony for the Emperor, the Empress entered with her attendants to take her throne. Perhaps her attendants were her daughters, seventeen-year-old Tenagnework and thirteen-year-old Zenebework. The following reading from the Psalms of David (Psalms 45:9-11) was made as a prayer. “Kings’ daughters were among thy honourable women: upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir.
Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father’s house; so, shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: for he is thy Lord; and worship thou him.”
The Empress was presented with a ring encrusted with diamonds, and then the red and gold coronation robes were placed upon her. The new Emperor received the Empress’s crown from the Archbishop and spoke the following words about his Empress, “As I, with the will of God, have received this crown from your Holiness, I request the Empress to receive this crown and partake in the honour with me. Therefore, I request your Holiness to put the crown on Empress Menen.”
Abuna Kyrillos took the crown from the Emperor and placed it on the Empress’s head as he made a prayer that the crown be one of knowledge and wisdom, sympathy, and goodness. In accordance with this prayer, Empress Menen used her crown to serve the people and to help the poor. After receiving her crown, the Empress went to bow before the Emperor and returned to sit on her throne. Again, the anthem was played, the cannons roared and the multitude of women outside the church ululated in appreciation for Empress Menen.
The newly crowned Emperor and Empress then took a grand tour around the inside of St. George’s Church, escorted by bishops and priests, their children, high dignitaries, assistants, and others all carrying palm branches and chanting, “Blessed be the King of Israel.” After this, Their Majesties removed their crowns and royal vestments to attend mass inside St. George’s Church in their traditional white silken clothing. Later they donned their regal robes and crowns once more in order to present themselves to the waiting multitude outside before entering a coach drawn by six bay horses, which conveyed them to the Imperial Palace for a state dinner.
On that day, silver medallions bearing the likeness of the new Emperor and Empress were presented to their honorary guests. In attendance were the Duke of Gloucester as the envoy of the King of England, the Prince of Udine representing Italy, Marshal Franchet d’Esperey of France, and emissaries from Belgium, Egypt, Germany, Greece, Japan, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Turkey, and the United States. European nobles and ministers present on the occasion expressed their appreciation for the loveliness of Empress Menen. It is interesting to note that the thirty-nine-year-old Empress was more than five months pregnant with her last son when the lengthy coronation events took place.
SPEECH BY HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS THE DUKE OF GLOUCESTER AT THE CORONATION OF HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY EMPEROR HAILE SELASSIE 1ST ~ OCTOBER 1930
“In 1924, His Majesty the King of England had the pleasure of entertaining your Imperial Majesty in London. It therefore gave him great satisfaction to be able to accept your majesties invitation to send a high Ambassador to attend your coronation. I have been charged on this occasion to convey to you His Majesty’s congratulations on your ascension and his good wishes for the prosperity of your reign.
During the reign of the Emperor Menelik and the late Empress Zawditu the foundations were laid on which your Imperial Majesty is now able to realise yet higher the prestige of your great country. It is my very pleasant duty on the King’s behalf to wish you a long and prosperous reign in which to carry through this work, which His Majesty follows with the deepest interest.
The great length of frontier between Ethiopia and the neighbouring territories under British control ensures that the interests of the two countries shall always be in harmony. The friendly relations which have so long existed between my country and Ethiopia have always afforded the greatest satisfaction to the King, which looks forward with confidence to their continuance and increase during your Imperial Majesty’s reign.
As a token of the esteem in which he holds you, His Majesty the King of England has charged me to present to you the Chain of the Royal Victoria Order to include you among the foreign sovereigns which have been the recipient of this distinguished decoration. I have also much pleasure in offering to you these sceptres as a personal gift from His Majesty the King to you and to Her Majesty the Empress Menen.
I should also like to express to you my great pleasure at being in Addis Ababa on this important occasion and my appreciation of the magnificent reception prepared for my arrival and for the arrangements which have been made for my comfort. I have already been much impressed by what I have seen of your country and I shall have the opportunity of seeing more before my departure and I shall carry away with me the happiest memories of my visit”.
The Rods of Power
Among the many gifts that were brought forward from abroad were the gold sceptre for the Negus Tafari and a gold and ivory sceptre for His Queen, Negest Menen.
These Rods of Power were specially designed and made in England and were a gift from His Majesty King George V and Her Majesty Queen Mary. These sceptres were made to possess historical, religious, and symbolic power and authority.
The Sceptre of Haile Selassie 1st
The sceptre which His Majesty King George V sent to Negus Tafari is made of solid gold and is approximately 27 inches overall in length and on the flat bar at the end of the sceptre, the ineffable and mightiest Name of God has been cut in Hebrew letters. This great name stands in the middle of the Pentacle. The Pentacle is a symbol which was cut on the wonderful Shamir stone which was set in the famous ring of King Solomon. The great Name enabled him to work miracles and the Pentacle gave him the power to destroy all evil influences which the devils and their servants on earth could bring against him.
Therefore, it was right that both the Name and the Pentacle should appear on the sceptre of him who is the glory of Christ. King George also stated that when the Emperor wields this sceptre that all his enemies would disperse.
On the right hand side of the length of the shaft is engraved in Amharic, the modern language of Ethiopia, the words from Psalm 68:31:
‘ETHIOPIA SHALL MAKE HER HANDS REACH UNTO GOD’
On the left hand side of the length of the shaft is engraved in Ethiopic, the ancient ecclesiastical language of the county, the name and title of the kings
THE SCEPTRE OF HAILE SELASSIE I
KING AND KINGS OF ETHIOPIA
THE LION OF JUDAH HATH CONQUERED
The Sceptre of Empress Menen
The sceptre that Empress Menen received also had engraved on the flat end bar the sceptre the ineffable and mightiest Name of God cut in Hebrew letters.
CORONATION REVELATION OF THE FAITH
With the coronations of the Majesties, the revelation of the faith and livity was established.
New Civilisation
For I n I Rastafari this ascension of the Majesties, Root of David has ushered in the highest civilisation envisioned, “The way of full salvation” (Psalm 132:11-12 / Revelation 3:21-22 / Hebrews 9:28 / Revelation 3:12)
New Era and Heritage
In Negus Tafari taking his baptism name ‘Haile Selassie’ to reign, the reign of all power was proclaimed and received by I n I Rastafari as a new era, a new time, and a new beginning. Hence, we are now in this time, the heritage year of 90HIM.
For I n I Rastafari the crowing of the Majesties mirror the soon coming glory of the Son of God and His wife, New Jerusalem. In this revelation, we see and enter into this new beginning and heritage of New Jerusalem life and livity, now, in honour to the soon coming glory and Day of the Lord.
JAH! RAS TAFARI! HAILE SELASSIE I!
This is the day that the Lord God has made,
Let us be glad and rejoice in it!
Author: Ras Mahitema Selassie ~ Guardian
Works Cited
Unknown. “Rasta Ites | The Coronation of Emperor Haile Selassie & Empress Menen.” Rasta Ites, 28 June 2016, rastaites.com/coronation-emperor-Haile-Selassie-empress-Menen/
Yared Gabre Michael, et al. Empress Menen Asfaw : The Mother of the Ethiopian Nation. Kealakekua, Hawaii, Roots Pub, 2011.