BY KFLEEYESUS ABEBE
Christmas is obviously a religious holyday commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ. But the unique atmoshpere it creates, its siginficance and influence over people around the world shows it is more than a mere celebration of a holyday. Though it gets celebrated annually across the world, the actual dates of celebration, the assortments and things it is associated with are different from culture to culture. It is adapted to the ways, culture and customs of given country or continent.
Christmas in Western world is an extensive celebration also having huge influence over other parts of the world. At times, it seems Christmas is a western celebration. There is even a song “ Do they know it is Christmas?” For the Western world Christmas hearlds the beginning a new season and a New Year. It is a transition from dry season to a rainy season (Winter). The celebration accordingly is long and require due preparation. Colorful costumes, decorations, lighting Christmas trees, displaying of outdoor christmas lights on houses even government premises, christmas carol, music, cusines, candies, chocolates, cookies and the Santa Claus gifts made western beautiful and influential cultural power across the world. It is a colorful celebration often symbolised by red as Elvis Presley’s song:
I’ll have a blue Christmas without you
I’ll be so blue just thinking about you
Decorations of red on a green Christmas tree
Won’t be the same dear, if you’re not here with me
The event changed life style and became a source of inspiration for singers, painters, fashion disginers, cinematographers, writers and other forms of art. Charles Dickson’s novella christmas carol, American Christmas comedy film Homealone, and Mariah Carey’s song “ All I Want For Christmas Is You’ are few to mentione. Western Christmas has also influenced politics in a way people and government to remember the disadvantaged, minorities, disprivileged communities, prisoners, refugees and others and reaching out through humanitarian aid and granting parole. The culture of giving gifts and donations is part and parcel of in western christmas and it is a culture of instilling this kindness, thoughtfulness and togetherness in this season.
Ethiopian Christmas is also a joyous moment that come after months of fasting. Unlike western, Ethiopian seasonal transition has already taken place. Ethiopians begin New Year in Septmeber and the next ten months are relatively dry seasons. Christmas comes almost at the middle of the year which is a hot season.
Like Orthodox churces inRussia, Ukrain, Serbia, Belarus, Egypt, Georgia, Kazakhstan, North Macedonia, Moldova and Montenegro, Ethiopians celebrate christmas on Tahsas 29 (January 7), not December 25th. The celebration is strictly religious occasion for the celebration begins at the eve of Christmas as church goers flock to churches wearing ‘netela’ white garment. The church service typically begins at around 6 pm and continues through to the early hours of Christmas day. There will be liturgical service, hymns called ‘wereb’ and ‘shibsheba’performed by clergy and then everyone at the church alltogether shows happiness for the birth of Jesus singing different Muzmur or spiritual songs. The songs might be listened in the houses, streets, almost everywhere.
Unlike Western in which red and green are popular, white is the dominant color in Ethiopian christmas. Celebrants were different but mostly white tradtional clothes.As the holyday is celebrated every part of the country, there is one place the holyday will be more colorful and meaningful. It has become customary for believers to make pligrimage to Lalibela rockhewn churches this time. Lalibela is a UNESCO world heritage site built by King Lalibella as a replica to Jerusalem. Going to Lalibela, The New Jerusalem, is considered going
to actual birthplace of Jesus, Bethlehem, South of Jerusalem. It is a warm atmosphere, perfect view and beautiful sound as large procession of faithful seen in white garment holding torches, clergies wearing colorful robes and everybody chanting and singing along priests and deceaons.
After the church service, ‘Genna’ is a festive time families to get together and cherishes unique Ethiopian dishes. As the celebration comes after fasting of 43 days, it is expected that celebrants to prepare high proteint dishes such as Doro Wot (Chicken), lamb or beef stew and other similar foods with drinks like Tela (traditional ale) and Teji (honey wine). Amharic phrases “Enkuan lebrehane ledetu adersahichu,” enkuan aderesachiu and the responses Enukan abro aderesen will be heard everywhere. The phrases are equivalent to saying of merry christmas, Happy holidays to you and the same to you.
Christmas is a time everyone enjoy relative freedom. It is when girls, housemaids and gatekeepercan go out and play with their mates. The ‘Genna’ play is typical in this season. Genna is a play looking alike European golf. The master and house servants may play together and there is a saying ‘begenna chiwata aykotum geta’ Masters won’t be angry during genna play even when they are defeated by the servant. The music also went on like this.
Asina bel asina genna
Eyoha
Asina gena ye
Eyoha
Asina genna ye
Asina bel be genna chiwata
Asina bel Akotwm geta
Christmas tree, decorations, giving and recieving gifts are alien to Ethiopians. The influence of western christmas however was seen for sometime as Ethiopians having christmas trees, decorating and displaying of lights and wearing christmas costumes in some places. Yet still it isn’t as such popular. Ethiopians seemed to be satisfied by their unique way of celebrating christmas; inside church wearing eye catching white garmets and getting together and eating traditional delicous foods and listening to either spiritual songs or cultural songs and dancing.
The Ethiopian Herald December 31/2022
