Ethiopia has a number of festival throughout the year starting with Teseday ,which is the time of the Ethiopian New Year which falls on Maskaram 1 or September 11 .This is also the beginning of the harvest season which is a time of parties and weddings. The most unusual of the country’s festival are Kulubi Gabriel ,(found in West part of Ethiopia )Gishen Mariam (in the North part of Ethiopia) Sheikh Hussein and Sof Omar (in south west ).Huge crowds arrive to pray for their health ,for a new baby,for a special favour,for a good harvest or to give thanks for wishes already granted. One important festival is Meskel which falls on September 27th and which celebrates the discovery of the true cross by Quene Helena ,the wife of Constantine the Great. Vast bonfirs are lit countrywide the night before the celebration and ,on the day itself, there are dances and feasts for every body present.
Once a year the Oromo people celebrate the Irecha around Lake Hora near Debre Zeit .This takes place on the first Sunday after Meskel and the ceremony centers on sacred tress, particularly around an ancient fig tree. Worshippers ask for favors, fertility, health, and good fortune. Ethiopia most celebrated festival is Timket, the Epiphany,which falls on January 19th and is the easiest for visitors to witness and enjoy. The holy Tabot ,a replica of the Ark of the Covenant ,is removed from each church around the country the day before the celebration and taken to a central area where the ceremony will take place .The following morning the church officials,resplendent in their gorgeous regalia,assemble around the Tabot and sprinkle holy water over all the Christians present and receive the renewals of their vows .After this is done the congregation follows the bishops,elders and clergy as the Tabot is carried back to the church from whence it come.
The most solemn of Ethiopia’s festivals is at Easter when the celebrations include the sacred music and dance which is unique to the church ,and which are later accompanied by the most solemn and moving rituals during the midnights mass. According to the Islamic tradtions,Muslims in Ethiopia also celebrate Muharram (Islamic New Year),especially the 10th of Muharram known as Ashura. Colorful celebration take place in Negash (north part of Ethiopia) ,Milad –an-Nabi (Birthday of Prophet Muhammad) Ramadan (Month of Fasting ) ;Eid –Ul-Fitr (end of fast) and Eid-Ul-Adha (End of Haji;the pilgrimage Makkah). Ethiopia follows the Julian calendar instead of Gregorian colander, Ethiopia follows the Julian calendar, which consists of 12 months of30 days each and 13 month of five and (six days in leap year).The calendar is seven year and eight months behind the western .
The Dates changes every year.
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