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.
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