Time for Timkat
We take a look at this Ethiopian celebration
UNLIKE MOST OTHER AFRICAN COUNTRIES, Ethiopia was a Christian country long before colonisation – it has been the established religion here since the fourth century.
That’s why the Ethiopian Orthodox Church has developed many of its own distinctive traditions. One of which is the annual celebration of Timkat on 19 or 20 January. It marks the day when Jesus was baptised in the river Jordan and began his ministry as an adult.
During the ceremonies, the Tabot, a model of the Art of the Covenant which is present on every Ethiopian altar, is wrapped in cloth and borne at the head of a procession. In the early hours of the morning, a body of water is blessed and the faithful re-enact the baptism of Christ.
If you’re lucky enough to be in Ethiopia at the time, try and make it along to the northern town of Lalibela (pictured), a 13th-century recreation of Jerusalem made after the city itself was captured by Muslims. Here, pilgrims, priests and debtaras (deacons) occupy the pit in which the monolithic Bete Maryam (St Mary’s Church) stands, striding and stamping, rattling their sistra (a percussive instrument) and swinging their prayer sticks.
Lee Cheshire
