Both religious and secular festivals in Ethiopia are occasoins for great rejoicing feasting and dancing often accompanied by colourful pageantry. The Gregorian or European calendar dates because of leap year, do not allways coincide precisely with the Ethiopian, therefore visitors should confirm the exact dates of different celebrations. Timket is the greates festival of the year, falling on 19 January just two weeks after teh Ethiopian Christmas . Athree day affair, beginning on the eve of Timket with dramatica and colourful processions. The follwoing morning, the grat day it sel, christ baptism in the Jordan River by Jhon the Baptist is commemorated.

.

DHTML Menu OpenCube

 

Ethiopia has a number of festivals throughout the year, starting with spring. The time of the Ethiopian New year, also called Enkutatash or Kidus Yohannes is celebrated on 11 September or ‘Meskerem’ 1. This is also the beginning of the harvest season, which is a time for parties and weddings. Another major religious celebration is Meskal, which falls on 27 or 28 September, celebrated in memory of the finding of the true cross by the Empress Heleni.



These national holidays has been celebrated throughout Ethiopia for centuries. Vast bonfires are lit country wide the night before the celebration, and on the day itself there are dances and feasting for everyone. This festival coincides with the mass blooming of the golden yellow ‘meskel daisies’, called ‘Adey Abeba’ in Amharic. The most unique of the country’s festival are Kulubi Gabriel and Gishen Mariam. Huge crowds arrive to pray for health, for a new baby, for a special favor or for a good harvest, or to give thanks for wishes already granted. Ethiopia’s most celebrated festival is Timket, the Epiphany, which falls on 19 January and is the easiest for visitors to witness and enjoy. The holy tabot, replica of the Ark of the Covenant, is removed from each church around the country the day before the celebration and taken to a central area where the ceremony will take place. The following morning, the church officials, resplendent in their gorgeous regalia, assemble around the Tabot and sprinkle the wholly water over all Christians.



Ethiopian Christmas which also known by being colorful in Lalibela is another celebration not to be missed as there would be great chance of seeing priests and monks dancing as they mournfully sway and march in procession. This celebration falls in January 7. Off- road Ethiopia Tours offers such kind of festival tours per the prior request of tourists. Buhe, which falls in 12 July in North-eastern Ethiopia and around 19 August in other parts of the country, commemorates the flogging of the disciples. Traditionally boys make long whips and crack them as loud as they like. Ethiopian Easter which falls between 20-23rd of April has many preparations and games especially by the rural part of the highlanders which similar to Cricket, called Genna.