LiDAR surveys and subsequent excavations in Ethiopia's Tigray region have revealed a monumental plaza paved with basalt slabs that align with the heliacal rising of Sirius. This site, belonging to the D'mt kingdom, served as the primary stage for the 'First-Light' festival, which signaled the beginning of the annual planting season.
The plaza features distinct circular depressions where ritual fires were lit to mirror the position of major stars. This architectural evidence demonstrates that the roots of Ethiopian festive culture are deeply tied to an ancient tradition of stellar observation and communal petition for rain and fertility, predating the Aksumite Empire by centuries.