Category: Events and Festival

On Faskia-Ethiopian Easter people celebrate and go to church with candles which are lit during a colorful Easter Mass service which begins at about midnight Ethiopian time. People go home to break their fast with the meat of chicken or lamb, slaughtered the previous night, accompanied with injera and traditional drinks (i.e. tella or tej). Like Christmas, Easter is also a day of family re-union, an expression of good wishes with exchange of gifts (i.e. lamb, goat or loaf of bread). International Celebration of Easter related to Ethiopia Easter, also called Pascha  or Resurrection Sunday,is a festival and holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in the New Testament as having occurred on the third day of his burial after his crucifixion by the Romans at Calvary c. 30 AD. It is the culmination of the Passion of Jesus, preceded by Lent (or Great Lent), a forty-day period of fasting, prayer, and penance. Most Christians refer to the week before Easter as "Holy Week"—it contains the days of the Easter Triduum, including Maundy Thursday, commemorating the Maundy and Last Supper, as well as Good Friday, commemorating the crucifixion and death of Jesus. In Western Christianity, Eastertide, or the Easter Season, begins on Easter Sunday and lasts seven weeks, ending with the coming of the fiftieth day, Pentecost Sunday. In Eastern Christianity, the season of Pascha begins on Pascha and ends with the coming of the fortieth day, the Feast of the Ascension. Easter and the holidays that are related to it are moveable feasts which do not fall on a fixed date in the Gregorian or Julian calendars which follow only the cycle of the sun; rather, its date is determined on a lunisolar calendar similar to the Hebrew calendar. The First Council of Nicaea (325) established two rules, independence of

Gena Gena is one of the major religious festivals in the country that commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem.   Unlike other Christian countries in the world, Ethiopia recalls it on the 6th or 7th January during the leap year. The town of Lalibela is the place where this festivity is highly observed. Christmas falls on December 29 Ethiopian calendar (January 7 Gregorian calendar). Christmas, called Lidet, is not the primary religious and secular festival that it has become in Western countries. Falling on 7 January, it is celebrated seriously by a church service that goes on throughout the night, with people moving from one church to another. Traditionally, young men played a game similar to hockey, called genna, on this day, and now Christmas has also come to be known by that name. Christmas Day is celebrated as a major festival and public holiday in countries around the world, including many whose populations are mostly non-Christian. In some non-Christian areas, periods of former colonial rule introduced the celebration (e.g. Hong Kong); in others, Christian minorities or foreign cultural influences have led populations to observe the holiday. Countries such as Japan, where Christmas is popular despite there being only a small number of Christians, have adopted many of the secular aspects of Christmas, such as gift-giving, decorations, and Christmas trees. Countries in which Christmas is not a formal public holiday include Afghanistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bhutan, Cambodia, China (excepting Hong Kong and Macao), Comoros, Iran, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Laos, Libya, Maldives, Mauritania, Mongolia, Morocco, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, and Yemen. Christmas celebrations around the world can vary markedly in form, reflecting differing cultural and national traditions.

Irreecha The Oromo People celebrate Irreecha to thank Waaqa (God) for the blessings and mercies they have received throughout the previous year. The thanksgiving is celebrated at the sacred grounds of Hora Harsadi (Lake Harsadi), Bishoftu, Oromia. The Irreecha festival is celebrated every year at the beginning of Birraa (Spring), new season after the dark and rainy winter season. Irrecha is celebrated in East Shewa Zone and around the world where diaspora Oromos live especially North America and Europe. One of the prominent Oromo Society core cultures which is widely celebrated every year in September on Sunday following the finding of the true cross festival. It is the Oromo Society thanks giving to “Waka” or God. It is celebrated in Bishoftu town (Debre Zeit) 47 kms from Addis Ababa at Lake Hora. On the festival community, leaders and Aba Gadas address thanks to Waka for the blessed transition from the rainy season that is normally considered as dark to the bright and colorful season. Over two million people attend the celebration. The Oromo People consider the winter rainy season of June to September as the time of difficulty. The heavy rain brings with it lots of things like swelling rivers and floods that may drown people, cattle, crop, and flood homes. Also, family relationship will severe during winter rain as they can't visit each other because of swelling rivers. In addition, winter time could be a time of hunger for some because of the fact that previous harvest collected in January is running short and new harvest is not ripe yet. Because of this, some families may endure food shortages during the winter. In Birraa (Spring in Oromoland), this shortage ends as many food crops especially maize is ripe and families can eat their fill. Other crops like potato, barley,

Timket Timket is celebrated for the commomeration of the baptism of Jesus Christ in Jordan River. It is celebrated on January 19 or 20 on leap. One day before the celebration the tabot, i.e. the tablet of wood or stone that consists of the Ten Commandments of God, which is the replica of the Ark of the Covenant, is taken out from the church and carried to the baptism site. The tabot is covered by embroidered cloth and carried on the head by the priest. On 19th early in the morning, the head of the churches bless the water in side pool and then sprinkle to the mass of people. Later on with chanting and more ceremonies, the tabots are turned back to each of their churches. This celebration takes place every year February 23 at Ura Kidane Meheret Church, which is one of the churches frequently visited on peninsula of Lake Tana. It is the celebration of Jesus Christ resurrection. This festival is observed after 55 days of fasting. During the ceremonies of Timkat, the Tabot, a model of the Ark of the Covenant, which is present on every Ethiopian altar (somewhat like the Western altar stone), is reverently wrapped in rich cloth and borne in procession on the head of the priest. The Tabot, which is otherwise rarely seen by the laity, represents the manifestation of Jesus as the Messiah when he came to the Jordan for baptism. The Divine Liturgy is celebrated near a stream or pool early in the morning (around 2 a.m.). Then the nearby body of water is blessed towards dawn and sprinkled on the participants, some of whom enter the water and immerse themselves, symbolically renewing their baptismal vows. But the festival does not end there. The best place to attend the event is Lalibela,

New Year and Meskel Festival New Year and Meskel Festival is the largest celebration of Ethiopian.Ethiopian New Year which falls every year Meskerem 1st (September 1st Ethiopian Calendar) or September 11th or 12th (Gregorian Calander) if it is leap year. Meskel festival is celebrated in order to commemorate the finding of the true cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. It was founded by Empress Helena, the mother of Constantine the Great, in 4th century A.D. Ethiopian Orthodox church celebrates every year September 27. The festivity goes on with chanting by priests, deacons and students from the school of Sunday and finally a bunch of leaves and wood is fired. The smoke is the depiction of incense used by Empress Helena to point where the true cross was hidden. Abreha and Atsbeha (Ezana and Saizana) the two brothers who were converted to Christianity in 4th century. Ezana was the king of Axum Dynasty who made official Christianity after conversion. It is the finest rock-hewn church that was chiseled and carved according to tradition story in 4th century but scholarly suggestion 9-10th century in dedication of Abreha and Atsbeha. Very colorful celebration takes place every year October 14. It is located in the heart land of Tigray Region. Hidar Tsion (St. Mary celebration in Axum)It is colorfully celebrated every year November 30. The celebration takes place for the coming of the Ark of the Covenant to Ethiopia. It was also on this day the first historical St. Mary church was built with 12 sanctuaries. It is one of the major religious celebrations in Ethiopia. Unlike many of the Christian countries in the world, it is celebrated in Ethiopia January 7. Although it is celebrated everywhere by Christians, the most colorful is observed in Lalibela because both the birth of Jesus Christ