The Ethiopian Christmas (

Amharic Amharic ( or ; (Amharic: ), ', ) is an Ethiopian Semitic language, which is a subgrouping within the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages. It is spoken as a first language by the Amharas, and also serves as a lingua franca for all oth ...

: ገና; ''Genna'') is celebrated by the

Ethiopian Orthodox The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church ( am, የኢትዮጵያ ኦርቶዶክስ ተዋሕዶ ቤተ ክርስቲያን, ''Yäityop'ya ortodoks täwahedo bétäkrestyan'') is the largest of the Oriental Orthodox Churches. One of the few Chris ...

Eritrean Orthodox The Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church ( ti, ቤተ ክርስትያን ተዋህዶ ኤርትራ) is one of the Oriental Orthodox Churches with its headquarters in Asmara, Eritrea. Its autocephaly was recognised by Pope Shenouda III of Alexandri ...

as well as the

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

and

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

denomination in Ethiopia on

7 January Events Pre-1600 *49 BC – The Senate of Rome says that Caesar will be declared a public enemy unless he disbands his army. This prompts the tribunes who support him to flee to Ravenna, where Caesar is waiting. * 1325 – Alfonso IV ...

(Tahsas 29 in the Ethiopian calendar). A distinct feature of Ethiopian Christmas is the traditional

hockey Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...

game long associated with the holiday. It is believed that shepherds tending their flocks on the night Jesus was born. Christians should fast 43 days, a period known as ''Tsome Nebiyat'' or the Fast of the Prophets. They must abstain from dairy products and alcoholic drinks. People wear ''

netela Netela ( am, ነጠላ) is handmade scarf-like two-layered cloth made of cotton worn by Ethiopian and Eritrean women. The netela is a well known and commonly worn garment in both countries. The male equivalent is known as the kuta. It is very t ...

'' cloth and attend church services at night. In

Lalibela Lalibela ( am, ላሊበላ) is a town in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Located in the Lasta district and North Wollo Zone, it is a tourist site for its famous rock-cut monolithic churches. The whole of Lalibela is a large and important site ...

, pilgrimages are made to its renowned churches.

Overview

The Ethiopian Christmas, also called ''Genna'', is celebrated on

(Tahsas 29 in the

Ethiopian calendar The Ethiopian calendar ( am, የኢትዮጲያ ዘመን ኣቆጣጠር; Oromo: Akka Lakkofsa Itoophiyaatti; Ge'ez: ዓዉደ ወርሕ; Tigrinya: ዓዉደ ኣዋርሕ), or Ge'ez calendar ( Ge'ez: ዓዉደ ወርሕ; Tigrinya: ዓዉ ...

) as the day of Jesus' birth, alongside the

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

, Eritrean and

Serbian Orthodox Church The Serbian Orthodox Church ( sr-Cyrl, Српска православна црква, Srpska pravoslavna crkva) is one of the autocephalous (ecclesiastically independent) Eastern Orthodox Christian denomination, Christian churches. The majori ...

es. It also celebrated by

and

denominations in the country. One of the district features of Ethiopian Christmas is the traditional game similar to

. The game is believed to have evolved from the shepherds tending their flocks on the night Jesus was born. Ethiopian Orthodox Christians should fast for 43 days, which also known as

Tsome Nebiyat In Christianity, the Nativity Fast—or Fast of the Prophets in Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church—is a period of abstinence and penance practiced by the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Churc ...

or the Fast of the Prophets. Fasting also includes abstaining from all non-non-egat products and psychoactive substances, including alcohol and meat. Since 25 November, the fast believed to be "cleansing the body of sin" in front of Jesus Christ.

Festivities

In Christmas, a thin white cotton garment called ''

'' is worn. On the eve of Christmas, Ethiopian Christians attend an overnight church service, usually starting around 6 pm and finishing at 3 am. People lineup surrounding a church and begin a long, looping procession around the circumference of the church. The festivities are a communal experience and a commitment of faith. The holiday attracts pilgrimages to the renowned

Churches.

References

{{Reflist Public holidays in Ethiopia Christmas traditions