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Timqat (Timkat) or Epiphany is celebrated on Tir 11th according to the
Ithiopian (Ethiopian) calendar or 19th January
(western calendar) which is 12 days after Orthodox Christmas. (this date
can change on Leap Years)
It is the greatest of the Christian Festivals and celebrates the baptism of Iyesu the Christ by John the
Baptist in the River Jordan. The festival begins the day before Timqat
which is called Ketera and lasts
for three days. Everyone dresses in their best clothes, new if possible, the
white robes of the people contrasting with the bright colours of the priests
clothes and the velvet sequined umbrellas.
Each Ethiopian church contains a Tabot which symbolises the
Ark of the Covenant and it is the Tabot which is consecrated rather than the
Church, without the Tabot the church is just an empty shell. The true Ark is kept in the
Church
of St Mary of Zion at Aksum having been brought to Ethiopia by Menelik I,
the son of King Soloman and Queen Makeda. He was the first
Ithiopian King of the Solomonic dynasty a direct ancestor of
I&I God and King Haile Selassie I. Read more about this on the
Ark of Jah Covenant page.
On Ketera (the eve of Timqat) the Tabots, covered in
ornamental cloths to prevent the gaze of the people, are taken by the priests with much ceremony
to a tent near a pool or stream. In Addis Ababa, the eleven largest churches,
bring their tabots to a field, locally known as Jan Meda. In
Lalibela they meet at the River Jordan. Here the congregation spend the night in
prayer, Mass is said around 2 am, after which there is a feast of injera
(a pancake like bread made from a local grain called t'ef) and barley beer. Before dawn people gather at the pool or
stream and at 5am the priests bless the water and begin sprinkling the crowd with
it. Many people leap into the
consecrated water fully clothed.
Afterwards the tabots are returned to the churches,
accompanied by the dancing parishoners, the sound of drums, bells,
trumpets and the sistrum (a traditional
instrument) and surrounded by the smell of burning incense. The celebrations
continue throughout the night. The next day is devoted to the Archangel
St Michael, who is Ethiopia's favourite Saint. The miracle at
the Marriage in Cana where Iyesu the Christ turned water into wine
is also remembered. The congregation
surround the Church singing and dancing.
and the younger people
continue to celebrate into the night.
