Timkat Festival
when: 19 Jan 2011 (annual)
where: Ethiopia
While Epiphany is not widely celebrated in most Christian nations, John the Baptist's blessing of Christ in the River Jordan is cause for grand commemoration in Ethiopia. Timkat, Ethiopian Epiphany, is the most important festival in the country's calendar.
The festivities provide a rare glimpse of a church tradition dating back over 1000 years. On the eve of Timkat, ketera (priests), debteras (deacons) and the congregation remove the tabot (symbolizing the Ark of the Covenant) from each church, and take it to a pool of water or river, which is blessed for the next day's celebration.
The keteras wear splendid ceremonial robes and are shaded by elaborately sequinned velvet umbrellas. They shake sistras (religious bells) and swing bronze censers from which great wisps of incense smoke escape into the air. The Tabot, carried on the head of one of the priests, is cloaked in layers of rich cloth to protect it from the gaze of the impious. When the procession reaches the water, the Tabots are placed in special ceremonial tents, and the priests pray throughout the long night. Crowds of people camp out, dressed in white, praying, eating and drinking by the light of flickering fires.
Towards dawn the crowds amass again to gather around the blessed water. Weather-beaten monks and nuns pray silently as the most senior priest dips a golden cross and extinguishes a consecrated candle in the water. Then the focal point of the entire festival arrives as the priest takes water from the pool and sprinkles it on the assembled congregation in commemoration of Christ's baptism.
Following the baptism, the Tabots return to their respective churches, with feasting, singing and dancing continuing and gathering pace. The best places to be for the celebrations are either Gondar, Lalibela or Addis Ababa.
Follow our adoption journey to our daughter- Aerie; whom God brings from Ethiopia, Africa. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Ephesians 3:20
"Sometimes I would like to ask God, why He allows poverty, famine, and injustice in the world when He could do something about it... but I'm afraid He might ask me the same question." Anonymous
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Current time in Ethiopia
Addis Ababa |
Adoption Time-line
02/02/10- Ethiopia adoption application & fee sent.
02/17/10- Accepted into America Worlds Ethiopia Program!
02/20/10- Paid initial AWAA program fee.
Start paper chase...
03/02/10- Ordered our birth certificates.
03/02/10- Spoke w/and chose GLAD as Home-Study Agency.
03/03/10- Got Angi's employeement & life ins. verification.
03/04/10- Received Tim's birth cert. in mail.
03/04/10- Went to courthouse, got Marriage Cert.
03/05/10- Received Angi's birth cert. in mail.
03/05/10- Scheduled Tim's phys. letter doctor appt.for 3/8
03/08/10- Mailed GLAD application letter & fee.
03/10/10- Ethiopia made big change- 2 trips required now.
03/11/10- Rec'd GLAD/AWAA Post Placement Agreement.
03/11/10- Rec'd Tim's Health/Life Ins. letter.
03/12/10- Jack & Annie rabie shots/Home Study Requirment
03/13/10- Rosie & Sara rabie shots.
03/21/10- Began Hague on-line required training course.
03/22/10- GLAD beginning our background checks.
03/22/10- Our HIV tests and Tim's HEP B blood draw done.
03/23/10- Tim's TB Test scheduled for 3/30/10.
03/25/10- Notary notarized all paperwork we've collected.
03/26/10- Kyla, our social work came for 1st & 2nd home visi
03/26/10- Adoption Tax Credit raised to$13,100.00! Go God!
03/27/10- Kyla finished 3rd Home Study visit.
03/27/10- Finished family photo pages.
03/30/10- Tim rescheduled TB Test until 4/6/10.
03/31/10- Picked up Tim's HEP B test results.
04/02/10- Received Archie's referance letter.
04/06/10- Tim had TB test placed.
04/06/10- Angi got bloodwork records.
04/06/10- Re-did Financial Statement/faxed to AWAA.
04/09/10- Tim's TB test results- negative :)
04/10/10- Completed Hague On-line training course.
04/10/10- Dog vaccines done.
04/20/10- Faxed Florida CPS request to FL today.
05/03/10- Had our physical visits today.
05/26/10- Angi's bloodwork drawn.
05/28/10- Angi's bloodwork result- normal.
05/28/10- Tim's bloodwork drawn & normal result.
06/01/10- Our 14th Annivesary- Renee notarized physicals!
06/07/10- Picked up our physicals & faxed to GLAD/AWAA.
06/07/10- Found out GLAD rec'd FL CPS checks 6/4/10.
06/07/10- Requested Dr. letter for Angi.
06/10/10- Picked up & faxed Dr. letter to AWAA.
06/10/10- Waiting for AWAA to approve Home Study.
06/15/10- AWAA read Home Study & requested corrections.
06/23/10- GLAD corrected and sent H.S. back to AWAA.
06/24/10- AWAA approved our Home Study!
07/01/10- Got money order for final GLAD payment.
07/01/10- Met Klya/GLAD in Vincennes, got final HomeStdy
07/02/10- Mailed I-600A application & fee.
07/09/10- Renee notarized rest of Dossier paperwork.
07/09/10- Sent 2 papers to IN State Dept.for Authentication
07/12/10- Fed-Ex package received at IN State Dept.
07/13/10- We rec'd Authenticated papers in mail!
07/14/10- Rec'd Immigration Fingerprinting appt for 8/9/10
07/23/10- Went early-Immigration/Indy. for fingerprinting.
07/26/10- Called USCIS & left msg for Immigration Officer.
07/29/10- Officer Opfer called, USCIS back-logged 3 weeks.
08/05/10- Rec'd I-171H today!Thanks Officer Opfer-speedy
08/06/10- Renee notarized new MOWA letter & I-171H.
08/06/10- Got Cashier's check to go with Dossier.
Paper chase completed!
08/06/10- Shipped Dossier to AWAA by Fed-Ex.
08/10/10- AWAA received Dossier packet.
08/13/10- AWAA approved Dossier, maybe DTE next Fri?
08/13/10- Rec'd U.S.State letter stating I-600A sent to ET!
08/19/10- AWAA Fed-Ex'd our Dossier to Ethiopia!
08/25/10- Dossier arrived in Ethiopia today!
The WAIT begins...
02/17/10- Accepted into America Worlds Ethiopia Program!
02/20/10- Paid initial AWAA program fee.
Start paper chase...
03/02/10- Ordered our birth certificates.
03/02/10- Spoke w/and chose GLAD as Home-Study Agency.
03/03/10- Got Angi's employeement & life ins. verification.
03/04/10- Received Tim's birth cert. in mail.
03/04/10- Went to courthouse, got Marriage Cert.
03/05/10- Received Angi's birth cert. in mail.
03/05/10- Scheduled Tim's phys. letter doctor appt.for 3/8
03/08/10- Mailed GLAD application letter & fee.
03/10/10- Ethiopia made big change- 2 trips required now.
03/11/10- Rec'd GLAD/AWAA Post Placement Agreement.
03/11/10- Rec'd Tim's Health/Life Ins. letter.
03/12/10- Jack & Annie rabie shots/Home Study Requirment
03/13/10- Rosie & Sara rabie shots.
03/21/10- Began Hague on-line required training course.
03/22/10- GLAD beginning our background checks.
03/22/10- Our HIV tests and Tim's HEP B blood draw done.
03/23/10- Tim's TB Test scheduled for 3/30/10.
03/25/10- Notary notarized all paperwork we've collected.
03/26/10- Kyla, our social work came for 1st & 2nd home visi
03/26/10- Adoption Tax Credit raised to$13,100.00! Go God!
03/27/10- Kyla finished 3rd Home Study visit.
03/27/10- Finished family photo pages.
03/30/10- Tim rescheduled TB Test until 4/6/10.
03/31/10- Picked up Tim's HEP B test results.
04/02/10- Received Archie's referance letter.
04/06/10- Tim had TB test placed.
04/06/10- Angi got bloodwork records.
04/06/10- Re-did Financial Statement/faxed to AWAA.
04/09/10- Tim's TB test results- negative :)
04/10/10- Completed Hague On-line training course.
04/10/10- Dog vaccines done.
04/20/10- Faxed Florida CPS request to FL today.
05/03/10- Had our physical visits today.
05/26/10- Angi's bloodwork drawn.
05/28/10- Angi's bloodwork result- normal.
05/28/10- Tim's bloodwork drawn & normal result.
06/01/10- Our 14th Annivesary- Renee notarized physicals!
06/07/10- Picked up our physicals & faxed to GLAD/AWAA.
06/07/10- Found out GLAD rec'd FL CPS checks 6/4/10.
06/07/10- Requested Dr. letter for Angi.
06/10/10- Picked up & faxed Dr. letter to AWAA.
06/10/10- Waiting for AWAA to approve Home Study.
06/15/10- AWAA read Home Study & requested corrections.
06/23/10- GLAD corrected and sent H.S. back to AWAA.
06/24/10- AWAA approved our Home Study!
07/01/10- Got money order for final GLAD payment.
07/01/10- Met Klya/GLAD in Vincennes, got final HomeStdy
07/02/10- Mailed I-600A application & fee.
07/09/10- Renee notarized rest of Dossier paperwork.
07/09/10- Sent 2 papers to IN State Dept.for Authentication
07/12/10- Fed-Ex package received at IN State Dept.
07/13/10- We rec'd Authenticated papers in mail!
07/14/10- Rec'd Immigration Fingerprinting appt for 8/9/10
07/23/10- Went early-Immigration/Indy. for fingerprinting.
07/26/10- Called USCIS & left msg for Immigration Officer.
07/29/10- Officer Opfer called, USCIS back-logged 3 weeks.
08/05/10- Rec'd I-171H today!Thanks Officer Opfer-speedy
08/06/10- Renee notarized new MOWA letter & I-171H.
08/06/10- Got Cashier's check to go with Dossier.
Paper chase completed!
08/06/10- Shipped Dossier to AWAA by Fed-Ex.
08/10/10- AWAA received Dossier packet.
08/13/10- AWAA approved Dossier, maybe DTE next Fri?
08/13/10- Rec'd U.S.State letter stating I-600A sent to ET!
08/19/10- AWAA Fed-Ex'd our Dossier to Ethiopia!
08/25/10- Dossier arrived in Ethiopia today!
The WAIT begins...
No comments:
Post a Comment