Orthodox Christians in Ethiopia celebrating Christmas on Friday two weeks after it was celebrated in the West as Ethiopian Orthodox Church considers January 7th being the day of Jesus’ birth.
The holiday is marking colorfully at historic city of Lalibela, Amhara region of Ethiopia.
This small town is mostly famous for its architectural marvels, the ancient rock hewn churches made from a single block of rocks.
The ceremony was attended by President Sahle-Work Zewde, the Popes and other senior officials.
Members of the Ethiopian diaspora and friends of Ethiopia and other dignitaries from around the world have been participating in the holiday.
Genna, (Amharic word) or Christmas is celebrated on the 7th of January or Tahisas 29 according to the Julian calendar.
Though Christmas has some outdoor features, mostly it is one of the indoor holidays celebrated in Ethiopia.
ENA
The fascist TPLF guru aite Sebhat Nega once boasted of crushing the backbones of the Amhara and Orthodox Church. On the other hand his disciples claim that Tigray and Tigrayans are the first Christians in the region and the religion is part of the Tigray identity. These two contradicting narratives are not resolved.