‘Ketera’, eve of Ethiopian Epiphany, celebrated colorfully throughout the country
Addis Ababa, January 19, 2024 (FBC) – Faithful of Ethiopian Orthodox and Catholic Christians across the country today celebrated the ‘Ketera’, the eve of Ethiopian Epiphany (Timket), festival colorfully.
Today’s celebration of Ketera in the capital Addis Ababa includes a procession escorting “Tabots,” which are miniature versions of the Ark of the Covenant that bear the Ten Commandments besides other spiritual and cultural activities such as prayer stick waving, drumming, horn blowing, among other things.
The procession concluded at “Jan Meda” where each replica of the Ark of the Covenant rest and stay until the celebration of the main festivity of Ethiopian Epiphany ‘Timket’ tomorrow, January 20, 2024 (11th day of the fifth month in Ethiopian calendar).
Large crowd of the faithful, religious fathers, government officials and foreign guests were present at the celebration of Ketera. Social media posts with pictures and videos showed that the the Ethiopian Epiphany eve was celebrated colorfully. Images from Gondar, Lalibela and other cities also indicated that foreign tourists have attended the celebration of the occasion.
The day is observed in commemoration of Christ’s baptism in the Jordan River.
Timket is a UNESCO-inscribed world intangible cultural heritage which is celebrated among Ethiopian Christians with unique religious and cultural values.