Ethiopia’s most important celebration is Timket, the Ethiopian Orthodox Epiphany. This celebrates Jesus’ baptism in the river Jordan and the only time, Ethiopian Christians believe, when the three natures of god manifested themselves at the same time. On the eve of Timket, the main churches of Addis bring out their Tabots in big processions led by the senior clergy and followed by tens of thousands of believers. The Tabots are brought to a field on the edge of town where they are kept for the night.
On the following morning, the Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church blesses a pool of water and then blesses the hundreds of thousands of believers who have gathered around the pool during the night to await him. At the end of the ceremony, the Tabots are brought back to their respective churches to be kept hidden until the next big celebration.
The rites of the Ethiopian Church are ancient and unlike any other Christian church’s. They are a blend of early Eastern Christianity and of pre-exodus Judaism, full of mysticism, mesmerizing chants and lavish costumes. The Ethiopians believe that the original Ark of the Covenant is kept in an Ethiopian church. Tabots, or replicas of the ark are a church’s most prized possession, only to be shown in public on the church’s saint’s name day and on Timket.
We witness the Coming Out of the Tabot of the Church of Saint Mary, the Patriarch’s own church, and with tens of thousands of people, follow it and its procession, which eventually merges with several other processions. The chanting, the improvised, organic waltz of the multitudes of faithful who follow the Tabots, the old ladies who kiss the ground stepped upon by the Patriarch, the ululation every time someone catches a glimpse of a Tabot – all seem quite surreal. Almost magically orchestrated.
