Christian Festivals
Enkutatesh (New Year Celebration): is the celebration of the Ethiopian New Year, which falls on Meskerem 1st (Ethiopian Calendar) or September 11th or 12th (Gregorian Calendar) depending on the leap year.
Meskel (Celebration of the Finding of the True Cross) is a large celebration on September 26th said to commemorate the finding of the true cross by Empress Eleni of Ethiopia.Hidar Tsion (St. Mary celebration in Axum) is colorfully celebrated every year on November 30th. The celebration marks the date that the the Ark of the Covenant arrived in Ethiopia. It was also on this day that the first St. Mary Church was built with its 12 sanctuaries. Genna (Christmas) officially known by the Church as Baal Lidet (Ethiopian Christmas) is on the 7th of January. The city of Lalibela is famous for Christmas Mass on the morning of January 7th.
Timket (Ethiopian Epiphany) falls on the 19th of January and is the day when Christians celebrate the baptism of Christ. The celebration takes place just two weeks after Ethiopian Christmas. It is actually a three-day affair, beginning on the Eve of Timkat with dramatic and colorful processions. The following morning, Christ's baptism in the Jordan River by John the Baptist is commemorated and reenacted all around the country. The third day is devoted to the Feast of St. Michael, the archangel, one of Ethiopia's most popular saints.