Timkat (Ethiopian Epiphany)

The eve and the dawn

Timkat commemorates the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan. On the eve, Ketera — a word meaning the blocking of the flow of water for the blessing — each parish escorts its tabot to a river, pool or reservoir with great ceremony. The tabot, a model of the Ark of the Covenant kept on every Ethiopian altar and otherwise rarely seen, is wrapped in rich cloth and carried on the head of a priest.

The celebrations on Timkat day start before sunrise. The Divine Liturgy is sung by the water in the early hours, and towards dawn the water is blessed and sprinkled on the congregation; some people enter the water, renewing their baptismal vows. Hundreds of thousands take part. UNESCO inscribed the Ethiopian Epiphany on its Representative List in 2019.

Back to the church

Later in the day the arks are escorted back to their churches in colourful processions. An account from the 1960s describes clergy in robes of many colours under bright umbrellas singing hymns, elders marching solemnly, children running about, women in their finest clothes, and young men leaping in spirited dances and songs. When the tabot is safely back in its church, everyone goes home to feast. In Addis Ababa, Timkat is celebrated at Jan Meda among other places.