Addis Herald
  • Home
  • History
  • Africa
  • Travel
  • Music
  • Culture
  • Art

Culture

  • calanderEthiopia: A truly unique African country
  • passionfruit-istanbul-croppedPassionfruit’s Globe-Trotting DJ Mixes Tell Stories Through Disco
  • Ethiopia-HighlandsThe most breathtaking geography in Ethiopia
  • Christmas in Lalibela‘Genna’: Christ’s birthday anniversary, an indispensable part of Ethiopian culture
  • the weekendThe Weeknd’s Next Album Will Be Inspired By BLM Movement, COVID-19 Pandemic

Business

  • siemensEthiopia Signs Deal To Build Phase 1 of $440 Million Assela Wind Farm Project
  • EthiopiaCan agriculture be Ethiopia’s growth engine?
  • Orange-Digital-VenturesGIZ and Orange launch an Orange Digital Center in Ethiopia, the 3rd in Africa and the Middle East region
  • 31342IMF and Ethiopia agree framework for loan deal reviews
  • 11-2-696x446Ethiopian Coffee History: From Chewing to Brewing

Africa

  • jad20210225-culture-nefertiti-akhenaton-592x296-1614265493-e1614766131609Ancient Egypt’s Queen Nefertiti & King Akhenaten finally in a photo
  • 20140208_MAP001_0Africa’s manufacturing puzzle: Evidence from Tanzanian and Ethiopian firms
  • battle of adwa woriorThe Victory of Adwa: A Fresh Perspective
  • shutterstock_pricing-317799113ECA Price Watch points to construction sector as key driver of growth
  • africa-s-pulse-april-2018-780x439China’s poverty alleviation model instructive for Africa: expert
web3-ethiopian-epiphany-tabot-priest-shutterstock_1228936375
January 18, 2020

Ethiopians start celebrating the Colorful two-day affair of recently UNESCO recognized Epiphany ( ጥምቀት)

Aleteia, By John Burger

The Ethiopian celebration of the Baptism of Jesus Christ has elements recognizing the Old Testament as well as the New.

While Roman Catholics celebrated the Baptism last Sunday, Ethiopian Orthodox, who observed Christmas on January 6, begin their celebration of the Baptism on the evening of January 18.

Recently, UNESCO, the United Nations’ office for culture, recognized Ethiopian Epiphany by placing it on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

“Ethiopian Epiphany is a colorful festival celebrated all over Ethiopia to commemorate the baptism of Jesus Christ by John the Baptist in the River Jordan,” UNESCO said. “The commemoration starts on the eve of the main festival on 18 January. The eve is known as Ketera, which means blocking the flow of water for the blessing of the celebrants. On the eve of Ketera, people escort their parish church tabot (replicas of the Ark of the Covenant) to Timkete-Bahir (a pool, river or artificial reservoir), transported by a priest of the parish and accompanied by a great ceremony.”

The faithful then spend the night in prayer, including a Eucharistic Liturgy.

Hundreds of thousands participate in the actual festival on the following day, UNESCO said: “The celebration starts early in the morning with pre-sunrise rituals. These are followed by the sprinkling of the blessed water on the congregation, as well as other ceremonies. At around 10 a.m., each tabot begins its procession back to its respective church, involving an even more colorful ceremony with various traditional and religious songs. The viability of the element is ensured through its continued practice, with Orthodox clergies playing a pivotal role: they sing the praises dedicated to the rituals and hymns, carry the Ark, and preach relevant texts.”

Ethiopian Orthodoxy is the predominant faith in the country. Thomas M. Landy, founder of Catholics & Cultures and a professor at the College of the Holy Cross, writes that Ethiopia’s roots are intertwined with the ancient Israelites and the Hebrew Bible. It’s no surprise than that the Ark of the Covenant is so revered in the liturgies of the Ethiopian Church.

“The 14th-century national epic Kebra Nagast, The Glory of the Kings, even claims that the Ethiopian nation was founded by Etiopik, a great grandson of Noah, and that Menelik I, son of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, brought Jewish nobles and the Ark of the Covenant back from Israel,” Landy writes. “Amharic Ethiopians have thus understood themselves genealogically as heirs to the King Solomon and these nobles. They believe that the church of St. Mary in Axum is home to the authentic biblical Ark of the Covenant. … Every Orthodox Church contains a copy of the tabot, the Ark of the Covenant, which is venerated and kept behind a veil.”

Source Aleteia

Abiy and Ramaphosa reset relations Ethiopia Pushes Privatization to Give Its Economy a Sugar Rush

Related Posts

20140208_MAP001_0

Africa, News

Africa’s manufacturing puzzle: Evidence from Tanzanian and Ethiopian firms

Ethiopia

Business, News

Can agriculture be Ethiopia’s growth engine?

shutterstock_pricing-317799113

Africa, News

ECA Price Watch points to construction sector as key driver of growth

Industrial Parks Development | Ethiopia |

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-vSnVQfBoo

Africa

  • jad20210225-culture-nefertiti-akhenaton-592x296-1614265493-e1614766131609Ancient Egypt’s Queen Nefertiti & King Akhenaten finally in a photo
  • 20140208_MAP001_0Africa’s manufacturing puzzle: Evidence from Tanzanian and Ethiopian firms
  • battle of adwa woriorThe Victory of Adwa: A Fresh Perspective
  • shutterstock_pricing-317799113ECA Price Watch points to construction sector as key driver of growth
  • africa-s-pulse-april-2018-780x439China’s poverty alleviation model instructive for Africa: expert

Travel

  • Homage to Entoto Park How the Old “Town in the Forest” is turning into a newly flowering tourist hubHomage to Entoto Park How the Old “Town in the Forest” is turning into a newly flowering tourist hub
  • 00ddd3-724x483This Is What It’s Like Trekking the Hottest Place on Earth
  • Screenshot_20200106-034619_GalleryExtreme Ethiopia in pictures
  • Addis-skyline-768x402Enigmatic Ethiopia: Africa’s (still) hidden jewel in the crown?
  • 929-1024x524-488x250Ethiopia’s Tourism sector is on the rise

Culture

  • calanderEthiopia: A truly unique African country
  • passionfruit-istanbul-croppedPassionfruit’s Globe-Trotting DJ Mixes Tell Stories Through Disco
  • Ethiopia-HighlandsThe most breathtaking geography in Ethiopia
  • Christmas in Lalibela‘Genna’: Christ’s birthday anniversary, an indispensable part of Ethiopian culture
  • the weekendThe Weeknd’s Next Album Will Be Inspired By BLM Movement, COVID-19 Pandemic

Business

  • siemensEthiopia Signs Deal To Build Phase 1 of $440 Million Assela Wind Farm Project
  • EthiopiaCan agriculture be Ethiopia’s growth engine?
  • Orange-Digital-VenturesGIZ and Orange launch an Orange Digital Center in Ethiopia, the 3rd in Africa and the Middle East region
  • 31342IMF and Ethiopia agree framework for loan deal reviews
  • 11-2-696x446Ethiopian Coffee History: From Chewing to Brewing

RSS Allfrica.com News feed

  • Africa: Call for an All-Inclusive Approach in SDGs
  • Africa: Who Director-General's Opening Remarks At the Media Briefing On Covid-19 - 5 March 2021
  • Africa: Post-Covid-19 - a Chance to Leapfrog Africa's Development Through Digitalization
  • Africa: Who Director-General - Financing Covid-19 Vaccines for Africa - a Whole-of-Africa Approach to Addressing Vaccine Access, Delivery and Uptake
  • Africa: Theirworld Honours Theo Sowa for Transforming the Lives of Girls and Women
  • Africa: Covid-19 Pandemic Sparked Year of Rights Crises
  • Africa: Meet Seven Women Saving the Planet
  • Africa: Over 4 Million Vaccinated Against Covid-19 Across Continent
  • Africa: Online Scammers Rake in Millions From Sale of Covid-19 'Vaccines'
  • Africa: Africa's Urban Risk and Resilience!
  • Abijitta-Shalla National Park
  • Alatish Ethiopian National Park
  • Awash National Park
  • Babille Elephant Sanctuary
  • Bahir Dar Blue Nile Millennium Park
  • Bale National Park; Ethiopia’s lesser-known Treasure
  • Bale Mountains National Park
  • Borena-Sayint National Park
  • Chebera Churchura National Park
  • Dati Wolel National park
  • Gambella National Park
  • Gambella National Park 2
  • Kafta-Sheraro National Park
  • Mago National Park
  • Maze National Park
  • Nechisar National Park, Ethiopia
  • Omo National Park 
  • The Semien Mountains
  • Yabello National Park
  • Yangudi Rassa National Park
© Addis Herald 2021
  • Contact us
en English
af Afrikaansam Amharicar Arabiczh-CN Chinese (Simplified)en Englishfr Frenchde Germanel Greekhi Hindiit Italianja Japaneseko Koreanla Latinru Russianes Spanishsu Sudanesesw Swahilisv Swedish