Ethiopians today celebrate colorfully Epiphany, which is registered as one of the world’s intangible cultural heritage by the United Nations Educational, Science and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) a few weeks ago.
In her message at the celebration of the Holiday in Gondar City in the northern part of Ethiopia, President Sahle-Work Zewdie urged the young generation to maintain such cultural and religious heritages of Ethiopia. She also indicated the need to teach the coming generation such centuries old cultural and religious practices, which are now becoming heritages of the world.
The City of Gondar is known for colorfully celebrating Epiphany attracting thousands of tourists from across the world. Reports show that hundreds of thousands of Orthodox Christians from across Ethiopia have also been gathering every year to attend the Epiphany ceremony in the ancient Gondar City for centuries.
In the capital, Addis Ababa, the 6th Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church Patriarch Abune Mathias has addressed the worshipers gathered at Janmeda.
A day before the actual holiday, people spend the night attending night-long prayers and hymn services, including the Eucharistic Liturgy. Hundreds of thousands participate in the actual festival on the following day – 19 January. The celebration starts early in the morning with pre-sunrise rituals.