Tag: Ethiopia

Procession, Timkat (Epiphany), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, January 2009

Procession, Timkat (Epiphany), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, January 2009

Near the beginning of the Timkat (Epiphany) procession, the priests accompanying the tabot (a replica of the Tablets of the Law, said to be the contents of the Ark of the Covenant), which is carried covered, over the head of the priest on the left edge of the image, pause to wait for the tabot of another group of churches to join them in procession to Jan Meda field, where a dozen churches will converge to celebrate together.

Drummer, Timkat (Epiphany), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, January 2009

Drummer, Timkat (Epiphany), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, January 2009

Timkat (Epiphany) is a three-day festival, when all the tabot (replicas of the ten commandments tablets, said to be stored in the Ark of the Covenant) are paraded to a source of water, which is blessed for symbolic re-baptism. 

Here, a drummer beats out a merry beat as the parade accompanying the tabot goes from church to church.

Head-dress, Leddet (Ethiopian Christmas), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, January 2009

Head-dress, Leddet (Ethiopian Christmas), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, January 2009

A man wears a traditional Oromo cultural head-dress (in former times, made from the mane of a lion–since lions were hunted out in Ethiopia, perhaps more likely horse hair) at the Leddet games in Jan Meda field, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.