Timket (Ethiopian Epiphany)

Timket, Ethiopia’s Feast of the Epiphany, is one of the highest and holiest holidays in the Ethiopian Orthodox Christian calendar and is celebrated on 19th January every year. This year as usual, it was celebrated in enthusiastic style with three days of festival, beginning on the eve of Timket with awe-inspiring processions.

The word Timket, from the Ge’ez word Asteryo meaning “to reveal”, refers to the revelation associated with the Church’s theology which is the unity of God the father, the son and the Holy Ghost during the baptism of Christ.

Ketera – 18th January

The celebration of Timket starts on the afternoon of 18th January, known as ’Ketera’, which refers to the making of a dam, as it is common to make a dam in places where there is no river water for the celebration of Timket. The “Tabot ” (replica of the Ark of the Covenant) is taken out of each church and borne aloft by high priests to the nearest river, lake or pond where the communal baptism is to take place the next day.

The procession is attended by chanting and dancing crowds in dazzling white traditional dress, which contrasts with the colours of the ceremonial robes and sequined velvet umbrellas of the priests. The Tabots stay overnight near the water and ceremonies continue overnight.

19th January

The main Timket celebration starts the next morning, when the ceremony begins with pre-sunrise rituals, which include the Kidane (Morning Prayer) – ኪዳን and the Kidasie (the divine clergy) – ቅዳሴ. Then follows the blessing and sprinkling of blessed water on the assembled congregation in commemoration of Christ’s baptism.

It takes the better part of the day before the procession breaks up to return the Tabots to the churches in the afternoon. By afternoon, all the Tabots (except the Tabot from St. Michael’s Church), are returned to their churches in a procession with the priests and young people animated and leaping like King David in the Bible.

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