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Yesterday (9th April) was Palm Sunday or Hosanna – the Sunday before Easter. It is a very special day in the Orthodox church commemorating Jesus’s march into Jerusalem on a donkey with Palm fonds laid before him. It is marked with palms (worn by many worshippers on hands or head), processions and special services in the […]
As many will know the big fasting season in Ethiopia started this week on Monday. Fasting is appears in many religions around the world. But in the west its has lost its rigour for most people. However in the Ethiopian Orthodox church there are many fasting days through the year. In fact a strict observer of […]
For Orthodox Christians, March is the middle of the Lentan Fast. The Hudadi or the Abiy Tsom as it is known, started on Mon 24th February (Yekatit 16) and runs for 55 days through to 19th April – Ethiopian Easter (in fact across the Orthodox world) known in Ethiopia as Fasika. The fast means followers […]
In the lead up to the great Lenten fast, followers of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church who are rather addicted to meat will be getting their fill in the increasingly common meat houses. These are a simple places with butchers and bar run together serving variations on fried meat and raw meat. It has to be […]
Enkwanaderasachu Best wishes to everyone celebrating Easter on either the 1st or the 8th of April. Easter in Ethiopia, known as Fasika is celebrated according to the Orthodox or Eastern church calendar this year on 8th April. Some years it falls on the same day as in the western church, some years it can be […]
As many will know the big fasting season in Ethiopia started this week on Monday. Fasting is appears in many religions around the world. But in the west its has lost its rigour for most people. However in the Ethiopian Orthodox church there are many fasting days through the year. In fact a strict observer of […]
Good Friday and the Lentan Fast is nearly finished, but now it becomes even more rigorous. The Ethiopian Lentan fast is the most rigorous fasting I know about, (although I am by no means an expert on fasting). For the strict observers of the fast, the 55 days of Lent are very tough on the […]
We wish all who are celebrating a Happy Easter – (or as we say in Amharic “Melkam Fasika”). Some of you may be surprised that Ethiopian Easter, (which is in fact Orthodox Easter across many countries) is celebrated so long after Western Easter. As we all know Easter in all Christian faiths is a movable […]
Visiting Tigray after 3 years I like to get around the country and visit the places we send our clients, especially the community treks. It’s important to talk to our guides and the communities and for them to see me and of course to see the state of repair of the guesthouses and their materials. […]
Enkwanaderasachu Best wishes to everyone celebrating Easter this weekend. Easter in Ethiopia, known as Fasika is celebrated according to the Orthodox or Eastern church calendar. Some years it falls on the same day as in the western church, but this year it is as far apart as it can be. The cordyceps soon became famous […]
Today Thursday 21 November is St Mikael’s day here in Ethiopia – Hedar (the month) Mikael. It’s one of numerous big saints days where the holy tabot is paraded out. But for this day there is a tradition to burn rubbish and that the smoke will take the evil away. For more details see this […]
The UK FCDO travel advice has just been changed to show all the core areas of Tigray (away from disputed territories and boundaries) as green. At Tesfa Tours we have been sending clients there to trek at community-owned guesthouses and see the wonders of the ancient city of Axum and there hidden rock churches of […]