ETHIOPIAN FESTIVALS
Ethiopia celebrates different festivals throughout the year: Christmas or Genna, the Epiphany or Timkat, Easter or Fasika and the discovery of the True Cross or Meskel are massively celebrated with soulful ceremonies.
7th Jan: Genna
The Genna festivity starts in the early morning (6:00 a.m.) with people gathering in churches for the mass service culminating in a spectacular procession of the Tabot (a replica of the Ark of the Covenant) carried on the top of the priest’s head.
19th Jan: Timkat
The festival of Timkat celebrates the baptism of Christ in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. It is known as one of the greatest festivals in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The celebration starts two weeks after the Ethiopian Christmas during Ketera, the eve of Timkat, with large processions of the holy Tabot
26th Sep: Meskel
According to the legend, Queen Helena, the mother of Constantine the Great, discovered the holy cross that was used for Christ’s crucifixion. Unable to find the sepulchre, it is believed that she lit torches and prayed for assistance, when the smoke drifted towards the direction of the buried cross. She found three crosses and one of them was the True Cross.
April to May: Ethiopian Easter or Fasika
A 55 day period of fasting known as Hudade or Abye Tsome concludes with the celebration of the Ethiopian Easter or Fasika. During this period of fasting, Orthodox Christians do not eat meat or dairy products and the first meal of the day is taken after 3 p.m., except on Saturdays and Sundays, where a meal is allowed after the morning mass service.