Easter; Ethiopian Orthdox's most sacred and anticipated holiday
Photo by Samson Sileshi
Easter is one of the few celebrations that is recognized by Christian denominations worldwide. It is a festival that celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ after being executed on a cross on Good Friday. Over two billion Christians across the world celebrate the event in their own time. For instance, Easter dates are different for the Catholic and the Orthodox churches because the former follows the Georgian calendar. In contrast, the latter follows the lunar calendar, which is 13 days behind the Georgian one. The other reason is that the Orthodox Church requires that Easter must be celebrated after the Jewish Passover so that the order of the biblical sequence of Christ’s passion is maintained. That puts the Orthodox Easter anywhere between 1-5 weeks away from the Catholics'. However there are times when Easter falls at the same time for both denominations.
This year, the Orthodox Easter also known as Fasika or Tenssaé; is scheduled to fall on the 19th of April, a solid week after the Catholics' Easter. Easter is the most sacred ceremony in the Orthodox church's calendar. The Ethiopian Orthodox believers fast for eight weeks before the celebrations. During those weeks they follow a strict vegan diet, while others still eat food like fish. Some stay on an empty stomach from midnight till the early afternoon every day except for Saturday and Sundays throughout the eight weeks.
Photo by Samson Sileshi
Ethiopian Orthodox followers all over the country prepare for this festivity by buying sheep and chicken from open markets, and Kebe-Ethiopian butter-is made at home in large amounts. On Saturday, the night before Easter, believers swamp the churches with long taditional candles around midnight when the prayers begin. This part of the celebration was extremely unique for me to witness because growing up in the Saudi Arabia, there was no place of worship and gathering for Christians so I never got to experience the mass prayers in the early hours of the morning with all the candles brightening up the night and loud prayers that can be heard in most neighborhoods in Addis Ababa until around 3 am. Once the prayers are done everyone goes home and breaks their fast by feasting on their homemade dorowot-Ethiopian chicken stew.
Then, on Sunday morning a sheep is slaughtered and a lot of meaty delicacies like tibs, kitfo and dulet is prepared to be devoured. It's a beautiful holiday where families and friends gather together dressed in their traditional dresses to celebrate with our famous coffee ceremonies. Tej/tella are the most common alcoholic beverages chosen for the occasion. Different regions and tribes in Ethiopia also incorporate their own extra cultures and traditions when celebrating Easter.
Different Eastern European countries add their own touch to the celebration. For instance, The Russian and Greek Orthodox Christians break their fast after midnight church service by feasting on lamb and paschalino, in Greece, and Paskca Easter bread cake in Russia. In Romania and Ukraine, where the majority of people follow the Orthodox calendar, people get artsy around Easter. Romanians decorate eggs with tiny beads and using the wax resist technique. In Ukraine, Easter eggs are called pysanky, and Ukrainians use Christian symbolism like the cross or lamb to decorate them. But whether it's using food or traditions that had pagan origins, Christians worldwide use this time to gather and celebrate the Man behind their faith.