Ethiopia’s Unique Celebration of Epiphany with Water, Colors and Prayers

Riding canoes, motorboats and kayaks made from papyrus stalks, devotees flocked to the lakes of central Ethiopia to celebrate the Orthodox holiday of Epiphany, known locally as ‘Timkat’.

Lake Ziway, 120 kilometers (75 miles) south of Addis Ababa, is the focal point of the region’s annual celebration of the baptism of Christ, one of the holiest days in the Ethiopian Orthodox calendar.

The festivities began on Wednesday afternoon when the high priest of the church departed from the monastery on the five islands of the lake surrounded by priests clad in red, blue, white and gold.

The clergy held aloft a “tabot,” a replica of a tablet that Christians believe contains the Ten Commandments given to Moses.

From the islands, the priests boarded boats loaded with crosses and other icons and made their way to the center of the lake, where they performed rituals surrounded by devotees.

The devotees were dressed in white from head to toe and packed into whatever vessels they could find, including traditional boats made of papyrus known as ‘tangwa’.

The boat circled the ‘Tabot’ for two hours, with people on board singing and clapping their hands before the procession returned to the shore of the lake, also known as Tempel.

There, loud celebrations began with songs, drums, bells, and horns, followed by vigils of all-night prayers.

– “Unique” –

On Thursday, the priests returned to the lake to bless the waters, and on the lakeshore, the ceremonial fervor and meditation of the evening gave way to joyful smiles.

The believers rushed to the shore, where a pastor used a hose to spray the crowd with water from the now-sanctified lake.

Some worshipers chose to plunge their faces directly into the lake, while children splashed and played in the shallow water.

Tariq Tadesse attended the ceremony for the first time from Addis Ababa with his wife and two children.

“I decided to come here first because it was not far from Addis and because it was unique. The ceremony starts and ends on the water,” said the 45-year-old father. rice field.

The local government hopes the region will be promoted through the Timkat celebration. This put Gondar, the country’s western city, firmly on the tourist map.

With economies rocked by the Covid-19 pandemic and two years of devastating war in northern Ethiopia, tourism remains a source of hope for many hoping for a brighter future.

“It is very important to bring back tourism,” said Nega Wedaho, deputy director of the Regional Tourism Board.

“The situation has improved. Now the tourism industry is taking off. We are ready.”