Procession du Tabot
The parasols of Timkat
Deep in the heart of Africa, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo (“One”) Church, attached to the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, remained untouched by the theological struggles that marked the first five centuries of Christianity.
From the early 1300s until the late 1800s, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church was considered a diocese of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, and was placed under the authority of a bishop, called the Abuna. In 1959, it was granted its own Patriarch, who succeeded the five bishops previously consecrated by the Patriarch of Alexandria.
The Canon of the Tewahedo Church is based on the Septuagint Greek version of the Bible translated into the Ge’ez language, along with a handful of apocryphal books such as the Book of Jubilees, the Book of Enoch and the Faith of the Forefathers.
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Timkat, the Ethiopian Epiphany, is celebrated every year in mid-January mostly at historical sites in Bahir Dar, Gonder, Aksum and Lalibela, amidst a great deal of religious fervour and colourful jubilation among the crowds of people. Pilgrims come from all over Ethiopia and even further afield, sparing no effort and using every available means of transport (including planes) to cross the wide distances that separate them from the festivities, which they would not miss for anything in the world.
***
The parasol
is the symbol of the perpetual power of religious leaders. It brings a note of solemnity to the event, while the richness of the fabrics and the hues of the brocades confer an aura of light and colour to the festival.
Intense moments that shall remain forever imprinted on my memory…
Ethiopia, January 2007
Reynald Schmid
Procession du Tabot
The parasols of Timkat
Deep in the heart of Africa, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo (“One”) Church, attached to the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, remained untouched by the theological struggles that marked the first five centuries of Christianity.
From the early 1300s until the late 1800s, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church was considered a diocese of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, and was placed under the authority of a bishop, called the Abuna. In 1959, it was granted its own Patriarch, who succeeded the five bishops previously consecrated by the Patriarch of Alexandria.
The Canon of the Tewahedo Church is based on the Septuagint Greek version of the Bible translated into the Ge’ez language, along with a handful of apocryphal books such as the Book of Jubilees, the Book of Enoch and the Faith of the Forefathers.
****
Timkat, the Ethiopian Epiphany, is celebrated every year in mid-January mostly at historical sites in Bahir Dar, Gonder, Aksum and Lalibela, amidst a great deal of religious fervour and colourful jubilation among the crowds of people. Pilgrims come from all over Ethiopia and even further afield, sparing no effort and using every available means of transport (including planes) to cross the wide distances that separate them from the festivities, which they would not miss for anything in the world.
***
The parasol
is the symbol of the perpetual power of religious leaders. It brings a note of solemnity to the event, while the richness of the fabrics and the hues of the brocades confer an aura of light and colour to the festival.
Intense moments that shall remain forever imprinted on my memory…
Ethiopia, January 2007
Reynald Schmid