Aweke Yeshaneh is from Addis Ababa who went to Gondar for the first time to celebrate Epiphany (Timket). He got the event beautiful. Timket in the capital is colorful. However, it is more vivid and attractive in Gondar for the high number of celebrants decorated with traditional costumes. In addition, the place of the celebration (the Fasil castles) makes the area more unique and fascinating.
He has enjoyed the celebration for years. He also sung “shash areferefe: gimjaw referefe: giorgis bezih alefe” with his peer mates. The choir is about the carpet that the people surfaced for the path of the Tabot or the ark. The song indicates that the Tabot is accompanied to its church colorfully concerted by celebrants.
Wubitu Tadele is from St. John’s religious school in Gondar. She celebrated Timket in her city concerting the Tabot throughout its way to church and the baptism place. She has been doing this for the past four years. As to her, the beautiful festivity attracts more non-Christians to religion. “It is a source of happiness both for my soul and flesh.”
Akele Yimer is a minister at the church of St. Michael. He did the same as Wubitu in accompanying the Tabot throughout its journey. This year’s epiphany was very unique for the discipline of the celebrants.
The Ethiopian epiphany has two features of the religious and cultural aspects. According to Aweke, the social norm allows everyone to be decorated and looks beautiful without any restraints in sex or age. Religiously, the arks of the covenants spare time with the believers for days publicly. In those days, the followers sing Christian songs and religious dances with priests and deacons in gratifying God for blessing the day.
Commemorating the baptism of Jesus Christ in Jordan River to purify man from sin is the core part of the religious aspect of the celebration, said Akele. Even today, the church will settle a dispute and equally reconcile the people regardless of age, sex, and ethnicity similar to Jesus’ deed in reconciling the earth man with his God and angels in baptism, he noted.
Socially, the celebration is an arena of Ethiopians where they meet in one place decorated and motivated for entertainment. They sing and dance cultural songs. They might even get their soul mate there as it is a public festivity – the event that meets all in one place. Many get their soul mate from their meeting in the celebration, Akele mentioned.
The multifaceted features of the celebration enabled the Ethiopian Epiphany or Timket to be listed among world intangible heritages. As to Aweke, UNESCO’s recognition of Timket is very important to acknowledge it across the world and perhaps allows Ethiopians to recognize their identity once again to avoid cultural pollution. Since the celebration is a religious one, it will allow recognizers to have mercy of God, he believed.
The inscription of the celebration is also important to promote the religious aspects across the world. It also helps the world people to come to Ethiopia and enjoy its traditions. The inscription of the celebration is very important to convey the world about the unique festivity of the baptism of Jesus in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, according to Akele.
Timket is a showcase for the beautiful social decoration of the people. However, in recent times, new fashions of wearing and hair dressings that are not the culture of the country have been seen in the festivity, Aweke said. Currently, youngsters are more changing in terms of most exposed wearing an unfamiliar hairdressing style. The generation also needs to get strong in terms of its religion. Fathers ought to teach their children about life after death so that they would develop a fear of God, he believed.
Religious fathers need to equip the generation about the religion and discipline of the church. They also need to teach the youth about love, fear of God, respect parents and develop patriotism so that they can get a successor they rely on, Akele pointed out.
In general, religious strength helps to purify the soul. But it is important to enjoy cultural values that publicize in festivities including Timket since man’s flesh is also the habitat of secular events. Celebrating the day is also significant to Ethiopians to preserve tradition and promote it to grab more visitors so that it helps to improve peoples’ lives in terms of per capita income via tourism revenue.
The Ethiopian Herald February 4/2020
BY YOHANES JEMANEH
