Ethiopian Timket/Epiphany — A UNESCO Intangible Heritage of Humanity
“France has Lourdes, India has the Ganges and Ethiopia, meanwhile, has Gondar.” — Daisy Carrington and Aja Harris (Travel writers)
London, UK
The 2015 world’s best destination country of the European Council on Tourism and Trade -Ethiopia is celebrating Timket. A celebration sustained since the fourth century, ETHIOPIAN TIMKET (ETHIOPIAN EPIPHANY) is the most colorful festival of the year celebrated for the memorandum of Christ’s baptism. The religious ceremony is best known for its combination of old and New Testament, which is unique to Ethiopia.
On the eve (January 18), hundreds of thousands escort their parish church “Tabot” (replicas of the Ark of the Covenant) to Timkete-Bahir (a pool, river or artificial reservoir), transported by a priest of the parish and accompanied by a great ceremony.
The people spend the night attending night-long prayers and hymn services, including Eucharistic Liturgy.
The main Timket celebration starts the next morning, when the ceremony begins with pre-sunrise rituals, which include the Kidane (Morning Prayer) — ኪዳን and the Kidasie (the divine clergy) — ቅዳሴ. Then follows the blessing and sprinkling of blessed water on the assembled congregation in commemoration of Christ’s baptism.
By afternoon, all the Tabots (except the Tabot from St. Michael’s Church), are returned to their churches in a procession with the priests and young people animated and leaping like King David in the Bible.
Archangel Michael Day — 20th January: The Tabot consecrated in the name of Archangel Michael remains and the next day is one of the three big annual celebrations to commemorate Archangel Michael.
On this day the Tabot from St. Michael’s Church is returned accompanied by a cheerful crowd who sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.
The whole intense celebration lasts for days which would most likely make the Ethiopian Epiphany the world’s largest party of it’s kind.
Photograph: Carl De Souza/AFP/Getty Images
Although Gondar (at Fasilides’ Bath) is considered the best place to be on Timket, Addis Ababa (at Jan Meda the horse-racing track of imperial days) and Axum (at the Bath of the Queen of Sheba) are also notable places to be on the days of the celebration.
