Timkat: how Ethiopian Orthodox Christians celebrate Epiphany with processions and water
Before dawn in Gondar, thousands of people gather around a stone pool built for an emperor in the seventeenth century. Priests in embroidered robes chant prayers, and the water is blessed. When the moment comes, worshippers jump in, splash each other and cheer. This is Timkat, Ethiopia’s celebration of the baptism of Jesus, one of the most colourful Christian festivals in the world.
What Timkat celebrates and the tabot
Timkat marks the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist in the Jordan River. It falls on 11 Tir in the Ethiopian calendar, which is usually 19 January in the Gregorian calendar, or 20 January in some years. Christianity has been present in Ethiopia since the fourth century, when the kingdom of Aksum adopted the faith. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is one of the oldest churches in the world.
Every Ethiopian Orthodox church has a tabot, a replica of the tablets of the law kept in the Ark of the Covenant. It is treated as the most sacred object in the church.
Procession, vigil and blessing
On the eve of Timkat, priests carry the tabots, wrapped in rich cloth, in procession from churches to a nearby body of water. Crowds follow, singing and dancing. Worshippers spend the night near the water in prayer and celebration. Tents and fires line the site. In the morning, priests bless the water and sprinkle the crowd, or worshippers enter the water, recalling Christ’s baptism and renewing their own commitment.
Afterwards, the tabots are carried back to their churches, accompanied by more singing, drumming and dancing. Gondar’s Fasilides Bath and the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela host some of the most famous celebrations, drawing pilgrims and tourists.
Addis Ababa and UNESCO
In the capital, large celebrations take place at Jan Meda, with processions through the streets. In 2019, UNESCO added Timkat to its list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Timkat is also a social occasion, when families gather, young people meet and communities feast together. For Christians elsewhere, Timkat is a reminder of the ancient roots of African Christianity.
Ethiopian Christians were celebrating the baptism of Jesus long before missionaries reached most of Africa. At Timkat, they still do it with the joy of people who have kept the faith for sixteen centuries.
