Addis Ababa, January 20, 2024 (FBC) – Ethiopian Christians are celebrating the Timket (Epiphany) Holiday nationwide in commemoration of the Baptism of Jesus Christ in the River Jordan.
In Addis Ababa, Hundreds of Thousands of congregated at the Jan Meda open space since early in the morning to attend the prayers and other liturgical services.
Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahdo Church delivered his His Holiness Abune Matias, religious leader, officials, tourist and hundreds of thousands of faithful have attended the Timket services.
As part of the festival, the clergy sprayed the Holy Water unto the congregation from the giant pool which symbolizes the River where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist.
The celebration of the Timket Holiday is also taking place in major cities and towns including Gondar, Lalibela, Hawassa, Adama, Debre Birhan, Dire Dawa and other districts including Minjar Shenkora district particularly at Erambuti in attendance of thousands of followers.
Timket is one of great religious holidays in Ethiopia which is also inscribed by UNESCO as world’s intangible heritage. Timket falls on January 19 and January 20 during the leap year. It is the outdoor festival filled with spectacular scenes and religious and cultural events.
During Timket Holiday, Thousands of the Christian faithful gather around the Tabots starting from early morning to attend the Timket Mass which features prayers, spiritual songs, preaching, ceremonial songs and dances of the clergy and students of Sunday Schools and the large number of followers at large.