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Category Archives: Timkat

Worshippers holding tapers on Jan Meda for Timkat

Melkam Timkat

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Worshippers holding tapers on Jan Meda for Timkat

Worshippers on Jan Meda for Timkat

 

 

Huge overhead flag on Addis Ababa street

Flags decorate the roads that the Tabots will be processed along

Timkat is one of the most important festivals in the Ethiopian Orthodox church, celebrating the baptism of Jesus in the Rive Jordan. On the days leading up to Timkat, Addis Ababa is decked out with colourful flags and other decorations to make the routes that the sacred Tabots will travel on as beautiful as possible.  Roads are swept and drains cleared. Today (Tuesday) the eve of Timkat the tabots are processed out of the churches across the country to the special grounds where the baptismal ceremony will be staged on the day.
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Replica on St Georges church from Lalibela in Addis for Timkat

A replica on Bete Giyorgis church of Lalibela on a roundabout in Addis

This year I have seen remarkable edifices erected – such as the replica of Bete Giyorgis – the famous rockhewn church of Lalibela on roundabouts where the Tabots will pass.

Church music & flags for Timkat on Jan Meda

Church music & flags for Timkat on Jan Meda

But most moving is the many thousands of people that go to the special Timkat grounds across the capital and indeed across the country. Holding ‘twafs’ (tapers) they pray and hold vigil near the tabots. There is a serenity and beauty the I really love in these places and even the presence of a foreigner like me with his bike was welcomed by all.
I and the team at Tesfa Tours, wish everyone a wonderful Timkat holiday – Enkwanaderasachu!

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The community at Mequat Mariam parade the Tabot out at TImkat with Ethiopian flags flying

Melkam Timkat – as Ethiopia celebrates a very special festival

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Worshippers jump into the Fasilides baths

Melkam Timkat from us all at Tesfa Tours. If there is one holiday that encapsulates the unique nature of the Ethiopia Orthodox church it is Timkat. Literally it means baptism (in Ge’ez – the liturgical language, as well as in Amharic and Tigrinya), but is Ethiopia’s  unique take on the  celebration of Epiphany. Across the Orthodox world the 19th January is the day for celebrating Epiphany and what is celebrated is Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan river by John.

The pool of blessed water – Mequat 

Across Ethiopia this morning people rushed to get the holy water that was blessed in the Timkat ceremony. In Gondar they leapt into Fasilidas’ bath; in Addis many thousands got sprayed from the Timkat bath in Jan Meda field; across the country parishioners got splashed by water in some pool that was blessed by their priests. This is in commemoration of Jesus’ baptism, is a great blessing on those who get wet and is a moment of ecstatic joy.

 

A Tabot being paraded

The processions started yesterday, on the eve of Timkat. At some point in the afternoon, the ‘Tabot‘- the holy epicentre of the church, and a replica of the tablets of Stone that Moses carried down from Mount Sinai – is carried out from the church.  The Tabot is a rectangular slab of wood, marble or stone about the size of a big book. It is never seen, and is wrapped in brocaded cloths and carried on the head of a senior priest, under umbrellas and in the company of others carrying the special icons from the church and the processional cross. The procession of the Tabot is made with great joy and at the same time solemnity. Drummers play the large church kettle drums called Kabero, debtara (equivalent of cantors) dance with their prayer sticks and a special ‘rattle’ called a sistrum. 
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In N.E. Addis Ababa, the traditional place for the Tabots to rest is the Jan Meda, where they set up camp under tents, along with thousands of worshippers.

Next morning following a special mass and the baptismal ceremony the Tabots are processed by a different route back to their church bestowing blessings on all houses and people that they pass. It is a procession that harks back to King Davids processing of the Arc of Covenant into the new temple in Jerusalem.

However the Tabots from the Mikael churches do not come back on Timkat. They spend a second night camping out, and on the day after Timkat, which is the 12th of the Ethiopian month (Ter) Mikael saint’s day, there is a huge procession, with the numbers swollen by parishioners from the neighbouring churches. This day is also the day that commemorates the miracles of Jesus at the Wedding in Canaa – ‘ye Canaa Zegelila’. In the countryside these processions are often accompanied by decorated horsemen performing races known as ‘Gooks’.

This is a day to be out and participating. A day to celebrate Ethiopia’s unique contribution to the world. And most of all a day to enjoy.

We wish you all a wonderful, happy and blessed Timkat

 

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The community at Mequat Mariam parade the Tabot out at TImkat with Ethiopian flags flying

Happy (Ferenji) Christmas – and the coming festivities in Ethiopia

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Gena ceremony in Lalibela

The coming month is a busy one for festivals in Ethiopia.  The biggest dates in the calendar are Kulubi Gabriel (28th December), Gena (Ethiopian Christmas) – on 7th January and Timkat (some what confusingly referred to as Epiphany) on the 19th January. These events are heavily promoted in the tourist industry, but often without a great deal of understanding.

Many think that as a spectacle, Gena can be seen all over Ethiopia, but in fact there is a unique celebration

A Tabot being paraded

in Lalibela with Tabots [the core of the church, replicas of the Tablets of Stone given to Moses] coming out onto the rock early in the morning and dancing and mass is said. Several thousand pilgrims stream from the countryside into the mountain town in the days preceding Gena, and melt away in the days that follow. Many will walk several hundred kilometres. In addition to this many Ethiopia pilgrims will descend on the town in buses from all over the country. This in itself is part of the tourist draw, to see the fervour, and the pilgrims camping out around the churches. Over the last twenty years tourist numbers attending Gena in Lalibela has swollen from scores of tourists to hundreds of tourists, and now will be well over a thousand!

The result is a bit ugly.  Too many tourists jockeying for position to get the epic photos. Their guides struggling to get them into position, prepared to muscle others, including pilgrims, out of the way.  In terms of visiting the churches, later on Timkat day or the day before, the scrum down to get into churches designed to hold some 20 worshipers is far worse than undignified.

Worshippers jump into the Fasilides baths

Timkat is however a pan-Ethiopian festival, and even celebrated across the Orthodox world in different ways. It is perhaps the festival that most marks out Ethiopia as unique. The word Timkat means Baptism (in Ge’ez, Amharic and Tigrinya), and the day is commemorating the baptism of Jesus by John in the Jordan River. In each Orthodox church across the country, the tabot comes out the night before and and spends the night in what is usually a scenic location with nearby water. When a tabot comes out it is a ceremonial procession with singing, ululating, dancing and much joy. On the Timkat morning there is a mass service and water is blessed, before a joyful and vigorous splashing of the water as every one seeks to get water on them – for it is now holy water. Afterwards the tabot is once more processed back to the church, and people will go home and feast.

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However the majority of tourists believe that they should see this ceremony in Gondar, Lalibela or Axum.  In Gondar there is a ceremonial bath built by Fasilidas which makes a lovely backdrop for the ceremony, or it would if there were not so many tourists. In Lalibela the location is a modern cement water pool several hundred meters below the churches compound, and in Axum it is a large pool (built in recent times). What does make the ceremony special is the number of churches on the pageant.  However I don’t think this outweighs the negative effect of the over tourism. Every hotel is fully booked, and once full they take additional people camping in their grounds, so as in Lalibela  at Gena you are faced with the ugly side of over tourism.

So where can people see Timkat and Gena? Well as noted Timkat is everywhere. So go somewhere where you can have a connection to the local church. I recommend the Tesfa Community treks. Here you can celebrate Timkat with the community and really will get a sense of what the holiday means. Alternatively you can see it in Addis, where the small number of foreigners is swamped by the thousands of worshippers following their parish church to the celebration sport, which in the N.E of Addis is Jan Meda. Here you can see the ceremony and see how much it means to the people of Addis.

Bale Wold church in Addis, crowds gather to see the Tabot

And Gena, well there is no substitute for witnessing the pilgrims and special celebration in Lalibela, but where ever you are on Gena eve, you can ask your guide to take you to a local church that night and witness the parishioners coming to celebrate the birthday of Jesus. They will have been fasting for one month in preparation for this day.  In some special churches dedicated to Bale Exyabier perhaps, the tabot will come out then next morning. One such church is adjacent to Selassie in central Addis, and here again the ululating and excitement at the coming out of the tabot can be felt.

Community celebrate at Festival in Meket

There are many days in January where tabot come out in special locations. The 26th January is the commemoration of the martyrdom of St George, when his bones were ground to dust – Sebreatesemu Giyorgis. This is a big day in Lalibela and the surrounding area, and great celebrations can be seen with few foreigners present (if any). There are other days too – Selassie  on 15th January, Cherkos – 23rd January and Asteryo Mariam on 29th January.  There are churches up and down the country where the tabot will be processed out of the church on these days – and you can feel and see the age old mystery of the tabot, and the devotion of people to it.

Find out how you can enjoy this holy season in Ethiopia away from the mass of tourists with the help of the Tesfa Tours team. We can design a great trip to experience these unique days or others like them, enabling you to experience the real Ethiopia.

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The community at Mequat Mariam parade the Tabot out at TImkat with Ethiopian flags flying

Melkam Timkat

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The community at Mequat Mariam parade the Tabot out at TImkat with Ethiopian flags flying

The community at Mequat Mariam in Wollo parade the Tabot out at Timkat

Today one of Ethiopia’s big holidays has started, it is the eve of Timkat and if you are in Addis the roads are closing as the Tabots are paraded out of the churches on their way to the field where the Baptism of Jesus will be commemorated tomorrow morning.  Timkat – meaning ‘Baptism’ is a festival that seems to encapsulate Ethiopia’s unique place in the world. It is frequently referred to as Epiphany, which while technically correct undersells what is a very special and Ethiopian day. Epiphany is a Greek word meaning manifestation or appearance, and it celebrates the events in Christ’s life that showed him to be the son of God. In the early church (before Rome got into it) this was the major feast in the church after Easter. In Epiphany was encapsulated all the major events that manifested Christ’s Godhood to man: his birth (Nativity) , the visit of the Magi, the turning watering wine at the wedding in Canaa, and his baptism in the Jordan river. With the appearance of Christmas in the developing church as a new festival, his nativity was taken out of Epiphany.

Holes are cut in the Ice in Russia

Bathers queue to dip in the freezing water in St..Petersburg

In the Eastern Orthodox churches Epiphany, in Greece often called Theophany (meaning shinning forth/appearance) is celebrated to commemorate the Baptism of Jesus as it is in Ethiopia. In Russia people cut a hole in the ice on a body of water and jump in. In Greece a cross is thrown into water and men dive for the honour of bringing it back. In Ethiopia, the holy Tabot is the heart of the church and what in fact makes a church holy, is processed to a place where water will be blessed. The tabot is in fact a replica of the Tablets of Stone that Moses carried down from Mount Sinai (although many state that they are a replica of the the Ark of Covenant).

In fact it is really spread over 2 or 3 days. This year – (leap years are different next one is 2020), it will start on the 18th Jan (Ter 10). In Addis the Tabots will leave the churches at around 2pm with a big procession, singing of hymns and chants, drumming, horns being blown and dancing to the chants. Icons are processed and most especially the tabots wrapped in brocaded cloth carried on the heads of the high priests under umbrellas. The procession will makes its way over several hours to the special resting point for the tabots. In north eastern Addis Ababa this place is Jan Meda (the Imperial horse racing fields). At Jan Meda about a dozen tabots spend the night with tents for shelter, and priests and devoted followers. The fields become the centre of the festival for the evening and next day, and for tabots from St Mikael churches the next day too.

Tens of thousands of people will gather at the fields in the evening, hundreds sell refreshments and nicknacks. The roads around are packed solid.  During the processions roads are closed across the city (and the country) and no cars can pass. Houses beside the route the tabots pass are blessed. Young lads lay down carpets on the road in front off the tabot. They rapidly roll them up behind and run them round to the front again, extreme hard work and a devotion that illustrates how deep seated are the beliefs and culture of the Orthodox church even in the capital city.

Where to see it? Head to your nearest Orthodox church, and plan to be there by 2pm. Then you can join in the procession to the fields. Don’t be worried by the crowds, everyone is joyful and will be happy to see you, but do show respect for the priests and the tabots, dress appropriately (women should cover heads and neither men nor women should wear short clothing – if you have traditional white cotton clothes all the better). At the convergence points of the tabots there could be pick pockets at work so be careful of possessions and do not carry unnecessary valuables.
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The followers play the church drum “Kabero” and dance the tabot across town

These Timkat processions are through-out Ethiopia where ever there is an Orthodox church. Procession make there way across towns in urban areas and over the fields in the countryside, to a place where in the morning the Baptism of Christ in the Jordan river is commemorated. Water will be blessed and the multitudes will be splashed with the holy water and try to take some home with them in bottles. Following this ceremony the tabots (with the exception of Mikael tabots) will be processed back to their church with similar joy, noise, colour and reverence to that with which they were processed today. These processions bring to mind the biblical accounts of King David’s processing the Ark of Covenant to Jerusalem: “So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouting, to the sound of the horn, trumpets, and cymbals, and made loud music on harps and lyres.” although Ethiopia’s instruments are drums and horns.

So where should you go to see it (in Ethiopia). In Addis Ababa, head for your nearest place where tabots have congregated, and try to get there quite early (8am). There will be big crowds near the major places such as Jan Meda, and beware of pickpockets! In the countryside similarly head for the tabots resting place early in the morning. Local people will tell you when.

Worshippers jump into the Fasilides baths

In Gondar you will need to seek out a place early in the morning at Fasilidas’ baths. It becomes extremely crowded. Your guide will advise you. The moment of the joyful splashing is the high point. In Gondar youngsters jump into the pool, in Addis the clergy spray the crowd from the water in the pool in the midst of the field. In parishes up and down the country water is splashed from the blessed pool, spring or river in a joyous celebration. Then you can follow the joyful processions back up to the churches.

The 20th January, Ter 12, is one of the big St Mikael days in the year, and also commemorates the Wedding Feast at Canaa when Jesus turned water into wine. The St.Mikael tabots remain in the field on the 19th and on the morning if the 290th a special mass is celebrated and the procession then begins back to the Mikael church. This is the biggest procession of them all as followers of other nearby churches will join in. In many places there is Gooks: racing of decorated horses around the procession. With a lot of dancing through the morning the Tabot is processed back to its church bestowing blessings on all whose house is passed. Most processions will be finished by around 2pm.

Melkam Timkat!

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The community at Mequat Mariam parade the Tabot out at TImkat with Ethiopian flags flying

Melkam Timkat … Timkat explained.

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The community at Mequat Mariam parade the Tabot out at TImkat with Ethiopian flags flying

The community at Mequat Mariam parade the Tabot out at TImkat

So tonight 18th January, is the eve of Timkat. Processions made there way across towns in urban areas and over the fields in the countryside, to a place where in the morning the Baptism of Christ in the Jordan river is commemorated. Water will be blessed and the multitudes will be splashed with the holy water and try to take some home with them in bottles. Following this ceremony the tabots (with the exception of Mikael tabots) will be processed back to their church with similar joy, noise, colour and reverence to that with which they were processed today.

Why is Timkat called “Epiphany”, and hey, what is Epiphany? Well it is a Greek word meaning manifestation or appearance, and it celebrates the events in Christ’s life that showed him to be the son of

Priests at Mequat Mariam head to the water blessing

Priests at Mequat Mariam head to the water blessing

God. In the early church (before Rome got into it) this was the major feast in the church after Easter. In Epiphany was encapsulated all the major events that manifested Christ’s Godhood to man: his birth (Nativity) , the visit of the Magi, the turning watering wine at the wedding in Cana, and his baptism in the Jordan river. With the appearance of Christmas in the developing church as a new festival, his nativity was taken out of Epiphany.

So where should you go to see it. In Addis Ababa, head for your nearest place where tabots have congregated, and try to get there quite early (8am). There will be big crowds near the major places such as Jan Meda, and beware of pickpockets! In the countryside similarly head for the tabots resting place early in the morning. Local people
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Worshippers jump into the Fasilides baths

Worshippers jump into the Fasilides baths

will tell you when.

In Gondar you will need to seek out a place early in the morning at Fasilidas’ baths. It becomes extremely crowded. Your guide will advise you. The moment of the joyful splashing is the high point. In Gondar youngsters jump into the pool, in Addis the clergy spray the crowd from the water in the pool in the midst of the field. In parishes up and down the country water is splashed from the blessed pool, spring or river in a joyous celebration. Then you can follow the processions.

Melkam Timkat!

 

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Ethiopia prepares for Timkat

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Flags put up on the streets of Addis in preparation for the Timkat processions on 18th - 20th Jan

Flags put up on the streets of Addis in preparation for the Timkat processions on 18th – 20th Jan

Preparations are underway for one festival that seems to encapsulate Ethiopia’s unique place in the world: it is Timkat – or ‘Baptism’. It is frequently referred to as Epiphany, which undersells what is a very special and Ethiopian day. In fact it is really spread over 2 or 3 days. And it start tomorrow- Wed 18th Jan (Ter 10).

The programme:   In Addis the Tabot will leave the churches at around 2pm with a big procession, singing of hymns and chants, drumming, horns being blown and dancing to the chants. Icons are processed and most especially the tabots wrapped in brocaded cloth carried on the heads of the high priests under umbrellas. The procession will makes its way over several hours to the special resting point for the tabots. In north eastern Addis Ababa this is Jan Meda (

A Tabot being paraded

A Tabot being paraded for Timkat

the Royal horse racing fields). At Jan Meda about a dozen tabots spend the night with tents for shelter, and priests and devoted followers. The fields become the centre of the festival for the evening and next day, and for St Mikael Tabots  the next day too. Tens of thousands of people will gather at the fields in the evening, hundreds sell refreshments and nicknacks. The roads around are packed solid.

During the processions roads are closed across the city (and the country) and no cars can pass. Houses beside the route the tabots pass are blessed. Young lads lay down carpets on the road infant off the taboo. They rapidly rolls them up behind and run them round to the front again, extreme hard work and a devotion that illustrates how deep seated are the beliefs and culture of the Orthodox church even in the capital city.

Where to see it?  Head to your nearest Orthodox church, and plan to be there by 2pm. Then you can join in the procession to the fields. Don’t be worried by the crowds, everyone is joyful and will be happy to see you, but do show respect for the priests and the Tabots, dress appropriately (women should cover heads and neither men nor women should wear short clothing – if you have traditional white cotton clothes all the better).  At the convergence points of the tabots thee could be pick pockets at work so be careful of possessions and do not carry unnecessary valuables.
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See tomorrow for details of the rest of Timkat!  Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

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The community at Mequat Mariam parade the Tabot out at TImkat with Ethiopian flags flying

Come & join the Timkat celebration in a Village in Ethiopia

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The community at Mequat Mariam parade the Tabot out at TImkat with Ethiopian flags flying

The community at Mequat Mariam parade the Tabot out at Timkat

If you are still unsure what to do next week over Timkat why not come and celebrate with one of the villages on a Tesfa trek.

Timkat is probably the most colourful festival in Ethiopia. Its a magical celebration linked to one of the oldest festival in the Christian – Epiphany. But in the Eastern (Orthodox) churches – Epiphany celebrated the baptism of Christ not the visit of the Magi (as in the western Church). In fact the word Timkat means ‘baptism’.  Epiphany itself refers to the manifestation of Christ’s divinity, and in the original church it celebrated the various points in Christ’s life where his divinity was shown: his nativity (this was before Christmas was celebrated), the visit of the Magi, Christ’s miracles (especially at the wedding in Cana), and his baptism in the Jordan river.

The village at Wajela celebrate Timkat with dancing and singing

The village at Wajela celebrate Timkat with dancing and singing

The favorability of their use have been due to the effective utilization of such drug products & the male patients can also make overnight cheap viagra their patients from the nightmares of erectile dysfunction. The effect, side effect, healing process of the diseases with the new http://deeprootsmag.org/2014/09/15/whole-thing-fun/ levitra 40 mg and advanced treatment techniques. When sildenafil cipla reaches the body, it dilate the vessels, relax penile muscles and dilate the vessels to enhance blood-availability near the genitals. It is known for improving appetite and in clearing out urinary infections in women. deeprootsmag.org viagra 100mg pfizer Timkat in Ethiopia is effectively a 3 day event although only the second day is the holiday and is Timkat. The celebrations start on the eve which this year is 19th January (Ter 10 in the Ethiopian calendar). The Tabots are paraded with colour, dance and singing out of their church compounds and off on a route to what is normally an attractive place if possible by a water source. On arrival the tabot is set up with a tent and the church community will stay with the tabot, some for the night. On the day of Timkat there is a mass before the water source is blessed and with wonderful joy the water is splashed on the onlookers and as much as possible some is collected to be taken home as a holy water.

After this celebration the tabots are taken back to their church with renewed joy and celebration, passing by a different route to bless those whose farms or houses it passes. All tabots except for Mikael tabots, who spend another day camping out as Ter 12 is St Michaels day (Mikael) and interestingly commemorates the wedding in Cana – (Cana Ze Galila). The Mikael day is also very big and the processions are bigger as many of those who attended the previous two days celebrations now come together for Mikael. In some places horses, decorated in colourful pompoms have horse races while the procession goes on.

There is no better day to feel the religious fervour and the deeply held beliefs in the Ethiopian Orthodox church. Whether you witness this in the streets of Addis or in the remote mountains on a Tesfa Trek you will be struck by the passion it arouses in the followers of the church and by the feeling that this is biblical, out of the old testament harking back to King David’s processing of the Ark of Covenant in Jerusalem.

 

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Tesfa Tours New Calendars are ready

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Every year we produce a calendar showcasing the Tigray and the Wollo communities. They start in September and end in August. This years calendar is now ready.

2007 Calendar promo.jpg  If you have not seen it before it is a must for anyone living or working here, or interested to visit Ethiopia.

1/ See how the Ethiopian Calendar is so different from the western Calendar. The Ethiopian dates are clearly marked in red along side the western dates.

2/ The major Saints days are shown – you will see there is a saints day almost every day of the month (and I only show the major ones that I chose to show!) If living in Addis you will know why large crowds of people are congregating in white gabis around a church area.

3/ The Annual saints day festivals are noted too – such as Hedar Mikael on the 21st Nov (the major St Michaels day) when rubbish is burned across the country. These are very big celebrations and in many cases the tabots will come out of the church with great celebration and procession. Use these big festivals when planning your holiday –

4/ Know in advance the Ethiopian holidays: Meskal, Gena (Ethiopian Christmas), Timkat (Celebrates the Baptism of Jesus 0f a really big festival), Orthodox Easter (often different dates to western Easter) etc.

Obese people notice variety lowest prices cialis of health issues including ED. The cavernous nerves run from the pelvis to be joined with tadalafil vs cialis other nerves of the penis. on line cialis unica-web.com A single dosage of this medication helps the person to take the tablet about one hour before your love session. By saying YES to who you are, who you’ve been, where you’ve been, what you’ve done, and what you’re doing with your life today, you will start to feel better. order generic levitra 5/ Know the fasts seasons in Ethiopia – when they start and end, and see the explanation of the fast in some cases. If you are vegetarian and visiting Ethiopia fasting times mean plenty of vegan food (those fasting refrain from eating any animal produce! except in some cases fish).

6/ Read the commentary on the bottom of each month and understand a little more about why, what , when etc.

7/ Enjoy the fabulous photographs – all taken from community tourism treks in Wollo and Tigray – 11 photos from guests this year – thanks to all who contributed. This should entice you book a trek if you have not already done so.

8/ Support the community tourism development with your contribution. We are suggesting 200 etb per calendar this year

Copies are available from our offices in front of Sandford School and a number of distribution points across the city. We will also post abroad if you can cover the postage cost.  Please let us know if you are interested to receive a calendar – calendars@tesfatours.com

 

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Timkat in Addis

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TIMG_3445.JPGhis year, on Timkat eve, I watched the Tabot from my local church in Addis Ababa as it was paraded the 4 kilometres from the church – Yesus – behind the French Embassy, to the Jan Meda – the old Imperial racing fields. It was a colourful and joyful procession, with everyone very happy to see us enjoying their pageant.

The Tabot’s nearest equivalent is the tabernacle and is a replica of the tablets of stone, and is carried shrouded in brocaded cloth on the head of a senior priest underneath a colourfully decorated umbrella. It forms the central part of the parade, alongside icons and other beautifully dressed priests also with more colourful umbrellas. The priests are led by deacons all dressed in white playing the wonderful big drums, and choir groups from the church singing the Tabot down the hill. Others lay out a red carpet before the Tabot, a sign of the importance attached to theTabot. As it passes people prostrate themselves before the tabot kissing the ground.IMG_3485.JPG

Timkat is the festival which celebrates the baptism of Jesus by John in the Jordan River, and is one of Ethiopia’s most important religious festivals. The word Timkat means baptism, but it is often confusingly translated as Ethiopian Epiphany. For more information on this see the page on festivals on our website.

Jan Meda becomes the centre of Addis Ababa over the Timkat holiday as more than a dozen Tabots converge on the walled field to spend the night there. On Timkat morning mass is said and then the blessed holy water in the baths at the centre of the filed are sprayed on the ecstatic congregation that is gathered around. Many also seek to fill bottles with this holy water to cure any number of ailments.
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IMG_3471.JPGThen the Tabots are paraded back up to their churches again accompanied by the parishioners. Only one Tabot remains for a second night – that of Mikael, whose annual saints day is the following day – a day that also celebrates the wedding at Canaa – Kanna Zegelila in the Ethiopian Church. The Mikael Tabots are then paraded back up on their special saint’s day with even larger crowds of followers.

It is a joyful and happy three days, and one I would urge people to see. Tourists flock to the traditional historical centres: Lalibela, Gondar and Axum, resulting in overcrowding, shortage of rooms, high prices etc, but it is a wonderful sight in Addis Ababa, or at the Tesfa community sites sharing the day with the local villagers.

Categories: Ethiopian News
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Community run guest house - Aterow in Wollo

Tesfa Calendar – almost run out!!

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Tesfa Tours calendar, a hanging wall calendar, will be available later this week, for a small charge. It shows the wonderful landscapes and people of Ethiopia in the areas in which we organise treks, and gives you a window into the culture with the Ethiopia dates and western dates merged onto one easy to read calendar.
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The calendar runs from 01 September 2011 – 31st August 2012- this more or less coincides with the Ethiopian year that starts on 12 September 2011 and ends next year on 10th September 2012.

Should this be ruled out the Doctor will advise on a treatment based up on the levitra prices http://icks.org/n/bbs/content.php?co_id=IJKS_Co_Publisher&mcode=20&smcode=2060 causes. you can find out more purchase sildenafil online The standard dose of this medication is temporary solution for those who suffer from the ED. The reason why a large number of young guys in their twenty also face problems achieving hard and sale on viagra firm erections. However, each time you play that sildenafil buy online person you end up losing, always falling for this or that trap or making a bad move. Not only is the Ethiopian calendar of 13 months laid out, but the major saints days and festivals are also noted. This calendar-inside-promo.jpgcurrent year is an Ethiopian Leap Year – with an extra day in September (in the 13th month called Pagume) – which means until the western leap ‘day’ comes at the end of February 2012 many Ethiopian holidays (such as Timkat) fall on different western dates from normal. We have also put in a few of the key Ethiopian national holidays and muslim holidays. Fasting periods are also noted. So there is a veritable wealth of information inside this calendar.

You can pick up a copy from our office. We will be asking people who take a calendar to make a small donation to support the community tourism. Details will be made available when we know more….
Please email us if you would like a calendar – calendars@tesfatours.com

Categories: Tesfa Tours News
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